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Review
. 2023 Oct-Dec:300-302:106036.
doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.106036. Epub 2023 Oct 6.

Diagnosis of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction

Allison J Stewart  1 , Joanne L Ireland  2 , Andy E Durham  3 , Catherine M McGowan  4
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Diagnosis of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction

Allison J Stewart et al. Vet J. 2023 Oct-Dec.
Free article

Abstract

Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in aged horses. The majority of horses respond well to treatment, but treatment is lifelong, meaning accurate diagnosis of PPID is important. Similar to any condition, there is no perfect laboratory test to diagnose PPID and accuracy is affected by the characteristics of the population in which the test is being evaluated. This review details the importance of consideration of clinical factors and diagnostic test accuracy. Basal adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) concentration is used most frequently in practice and has very good diagnostic accuracy when used in combination with clinical judgement and the correct application of diagnostic thresholds. The thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test can be used in horses with equivocal test results following basal ACTH testing, or to evaluate subtle cases due to its improved accuracy.

Keywords: ACTH; Laboratory test; PPID; Sensitivity; TRH.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement AED is employed by the Liphook Equine Hospital which offers a commercial clinical laboratory service including endocrine testing. CM, JI and AS have represented their Universities, as key opinion leaders and researchers for which the respective institution has received support from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. None of the authors of this paper has any other financial or personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.

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