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September 2015 THE HORSE TheHorse.com
through a process known as bronchoal-
veolar lavage). "Those signaling molecules
may predict mortality and morbidity
(sickness) because those individuals are
more prone to disease if they have a high-
er number of those markers," she says.
Elzinga says inflammation can affect
a wide variety of parameters: muscle and
lung health, possibly metabolism and
endocrine disorder development, and vac-
cine efficacy. "We know that aged horses
don't respond as well to vaccination" as
younger horses, she says, "but we do not
know anything about the duration of
immunity."
While scientists completed several
studies on equine inflamm-aging in the
past year, we've focused on two in which
they looked specifically at our use and
management of senior horses.
1
Inflamm-aging in the lungs differs
from inflamm-aging in the blood
Hansen's group at the University of
Copenhagen reviewed previous studies
examining how certain immune-related
proteins and messenger RNA are pro-
duced and distributed in circulating blood
and in the immune cells found in lung
fluids, especially in older horses. They
sought to determine whether aging causes
reduced immunity or reduced immunity
causes aging.
What they found Inflamm-aging isn't
the same across the board in all of a
horse's organs or systems.
Why this study is important This study
has two applications. First, the research-
ers have provided "important evidence
that age-related immune changes or
'dysfunctions' are organ-specific," says
Hansen. In other words, the entire
horse doesn't age at the same rate—and
environment might have something to do
with that, "presumably because the lungs
are unique in that they need to balance
inflammation against the body's demand
for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange."
Which leads to the second application:
What's your biggest senior horse concern?
30% 30%
Soft tissue and joint health Nutrition and digestibility
27% 9% 4%
Endocrine disorders such as Other Immune status and
Cushing's disease vaccination response
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