Equine Cushing's Syndrome Essay

Introduction Equine Cushing’s Syndrome (ECS) occurs when a tumor is found in the pituitary gland of the horse’s brain. The tumor that is in the pituitary gland affects the pars intermedia which is also why Cushing’s syndrome is known as pars intermedia dysfunction (PID) (petmd). There is no specific breed that ECS affects, but it has shown that ponies are more prone to the disease than horses. Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) generally occurs in older horses showing hirsutism, delayed molting, weight loss, polydipsia, polyuria, laminitis, and reproductive disorders (in broodmares), but there have been no reports on stallions (Hatazoe et al. 2015). Adenomata of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland have been linked with …show more content…
Veterinarians have been known to prescribe Peroglide, Bromocriptine, and Cryoheptadine for the controlled treatment of ECS (Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine). Peroglide is the number one medication of choice when it comes to veterinarians attempting to treat ECS (Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine). some veterinarians even combine both Peroglide and Cryoheptadine to manage the condition of ECS (WSU School of Veterinary Medicine). Other drugs have been experimented on for the control of ECS such as Trilostane and o,p’-DDD (also called mitotane or lysodren) (Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine). using Trilostane as a management for ECS was tested in a study, Trilostane, a competitive 3-bete hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor, has been successfully used in order to control clinical signs and cortisol excess pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (McGowan 2003). Trilostane was evaluated for its efficiency in resolving clinical abnormalities of ECS and to assess it safety (McGowan 2003). Radiation may also be used in the treatment of ECS by shrinking the size of the pituitary tumor; this treatment is most effective on small tumors to help reduce the symptoms of pituitary dependent ECS (WSU School of Veterinary Medicine). Horses with ECS may have an enlarged liver or adrenal glands (McGowan et al. 2004). A study was done using serum insulin concentration and its use as a prognostic indicator in horses with ECS have been poorly documented (McGowan et al. 2004). To examine daily insulin variations in horses with ECS and the effect of treatment using Trilostane, a competitive 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (McGowan et al. 2004). The study was used to examine the relationship between baseline serum insulin concentration and survival in horses with ECS (McGowan et al. 2004). After a diagnostic