An investigation of the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in random populations of Swiss horses

The incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Switzerland was determined in three groups of horses selected at random. Group A (97 horses) and Group B (93 horses) had no history of respiratory disease, but Group C (113 horses) had a history of lower respiratory tract disease. All horses were examined by auscultation of the respiratory tract under forced breathing, endoscopic examination of the upper and lower respiratory tract, arterial blood gas analysis at rest and cytological examination of respiratory secretions (RS). Fifty-four per cent of the horses in Group A and 54.8 per cent of Group B were diagnosed as suffering clinical COPD and only 12.4 per cent of horses in Group A and 8.6 per cent in Group B had no detectable abnormalities in their lower respiratory tracts. In Group B, 19.4 per cent were considered to be suffering from parasitic pulmonary disease indicated by elevated numbers of eosinophils in their RS. Pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia was exhibited in 70.1 per cent of Group A and 74.2 per cent of Group B. Cytological examination of RS was useful to determine if the secretions found in the trachea originated from the upper or lower respiratory tract. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed no significant differences between healthy horses and those with subclinical or mild COPD.