Evaluation of Owner-Reported Clinical Signs and Fecal Occult Blood Tests as Predictors of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Competition Dressage Horses

IF 2.2 2区农林科学 Q1 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine Pub Date : 2025-10-07 DOI:10.1111/jvim.70248

Thibault Frippiat, Maëlle Bonhomme, Sue Dyson, Dominique-Marie Votion

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Abstract

Background

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) adversely affects the health, welfare, and performance of sports horses, requiring gastroscopy for definitive diagnosis. Owners frequently consider girth aversion as highly suggestive of EGUS.

Objectives

To evaluate whether owner-reported clinical signs or fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) can help identify horses needing gastroscopy for EGUS diagnosis or monitoring treatment, thereby reducing unnecessary procedures in unaffected horses.

Animals

Eighty competition dressage horses referred by veterinarians for EGUS evaluation.

Methods

Case–control study including questionnaire, clinical examination, gastroscopy, and FOBT. Based on gastroscopic findings, horses were classified as cases (presenting equine squamous gastric disease, equine glandular gastric disease, or both) or controls (no lesions). Nineteen horses underwent a follow-up examination after EGUS treatment. Predictive values of clinical signs and fecal hemoglobin were assessed using the Wilson–Brown method, and group differences were analyzed using Mann–Whitney and Fisher's exact tests.

Results

Fifty-five horses (69%) had EGUS. The most commonly reported clinical signs in this cohort included girth aversion (78%), poor performance (33%), and weight loss (30%), with no differences between groups (p = 0.44–0.99). Neither clinical signs nor FOBT had sufficient sensitivity or specificity for EGUS screening. Among the 19 horses reevaluated after treatment, resolution of clinical signs did not reliably predict mucosal healing, with poor agreement between owner-reported clinical response and gastroscopic outcome.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

In competition dressage horses, owner-reported clinical signs and FOBT results are unreliable predictors of EGUS or treatment outcomes. Gastroscopy remains essential for accurately diagnosing and monitoring EGUS in sports horses.

Abstract Image

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评价马主报告的临床症状和粪便潜血测试作为马术比赛马胃溃疡综合征的预测因子。

背景：马胃溃疡综合征（EGUS）对运动马的健康、福利和表现有不利影响，需要胃镜检查才能确诊。业主通常认为腰围厌恶是EGUS的高度暗示。目的：评估马主报告的临床症状或粪便隐血试验（FOBTs）是否有助于确定需要胃镜检查进行EGUS诊断或监测治疗的马，从而减少未受影响马的不必要手术。动物：80匹参赛盛装舞步马匹，由兽医推荐进行EGUS评估。方法：病例对照研究，包括问卷调查、临床检查、胃镜检查和FOBT。根据胃镜检查结果，将马分为病例（表现为马鳞状胃疾病，马腺胃疾病，或两者兼而有之）和对照组（无病变）。19匹马在EGUS治疗后接受了随访检查。临床体征和粪便血红蛋白的预测值采用Wilson-Brown法评估，组间差异采用Mann-Whitney和Fisher精确检验分析。结果：55匹马（69%）有EGUS。该队列中最常见的临床症状包括腰围厌恶（78%），表现不佳（33%）和体重减轻（30%），组间无差异（p = 0.44-0.99）。临床体征和FOBT对EGUS筛查都没有足够的敏感性和特异性。在治疗后重新评估的19匹马中，临床症状的消退并不能可靠地预测粘膜愈合，马主报告的临床反应和胃镜检查结果之间的一致性很差。结论和临床重要性：在竞技盛装舞步赛马中，马主报告的临床体征和FOBT结果是EGUS或治疗结果的不可靠预测因子。胃镜检查对于准确诊断和监测运动马的EGUS仍然是必不可少的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 农林科学-兽医学

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

11.50%

发文量

243

审稿时长

22 weeks

期刊介绍： The mission of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine is to advance veterinary medical knowledge and improve the lives of animals by publication of authoritative scientific articles of animal diseases.