Northern Kentucky University
Investigation into the Environmental Causes of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging in Thoroughbred Racehorses
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Grant Edwards; Keith Walters
Abstract
Thoroughbred racehorses stabled and raced in the Commonwealth of Kentucky often exhibit a debilitating disease called exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhaging (EIPH). As many as 95% of running racehorses show signs of EIPH upon endoscopy. EIPH is also known as “bleeding” in equine athletes, where speed and endurance are required. It occurs when blood escapes the capillaries and enters the lungs and trachea, compromising the airway and oxygen intake of the running horse. Despite much research into EIPH, its cause is not understood. The suggestion that EIPH is more frequent in metropolitan stables implicates heavy metal environmental contaminants as a possible cause. We examined cadmium, a known irritant of the lungs in animal subjects, as a first cause. Because cadmium tends to bioaccumulate in tissues and the cortex of hair, we used a previously developed method of analysis to compare cadmium levels in hair samples from horses stabled near and far from metropolitan areas.
Investigation into the Environmental Causes of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging in Thoroughbred Racehorses
Thoroughbred racehorses stabled and raced in the Commonwealth of Kentucky often exhibit a debilitating disease called exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhaging (EIPH). As many as 95% of running racehorses show signs of EIPH upon endoscopy. EIPH is also known as “bleeding” in equine athletes, where speed and endurance are required. It occurs when blood escapes the capillaries and enters the lungs and trachea, compromising the airway and oxygen intake of the running horse. Despite much research into EIPH, its cause is not understood. The suggestion that EIPH is more frequent in metropolitan stables implicates heavy metal environmental contaminants as a possible cause. We examined cadmium, a known irritant of the lungs in animal subjects, as a first cause. Because cadmium tends to bioaccumulate in tissues and the cortex of hair, we used a previously developed method of analysis to compare cadmium levels in hair samples from horses stabled near and far from metropolitan areas.