Evaluation of a questionnaire to detect the risk of developing ESGD or EGGD in horses

• Published in: Preventive veterinary medicine 2021-03, Vol.188, p.105285-105285, Article 105285
• Main Authors: Busechian, Sara, Sgorbini, Micaela, Orvieto, Simona, Pisello, Lorenzo, Zappulla, Francesco, Briganti, Angela, Nocera, Irene, Conte, Giuseppe, Rueca, Fabrizio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Equine gastric ulcer syndrome; Equine Glandular Gastric Disease; Equine Squamous Gastric Disease; Prevalence; Questionnaire; Risk factors
• ISSN: 0167-5877; 1873-1716
• DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105285

•Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) has high prevalence in horses worldwide.•We evaluated a questionnaire proposed by other authors to assess ESGD or EGGD risk in horses submitted to gastroscopy.•Some answers to questions in the survey correlated with an increased or decreased risk of ESGD or EGGD.•Owners were able to identify an increased risk and implement strategies to prevent the occurrence of gastric lesions. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) affects various categories of horses worldwide. This syndrome is now divided into two different diseases, based on the presence of lesions on either the squamous (Equine Squamous Gastric Disease, ESGD) or the glandular (Equine Glandular Gastric Disease, EGGD) mucosa. Diagnosis is based on the evaluation of the presence of gastric lesions with gastroscopic examination. As a gastroscopy can be considered expensive by clients, therapy is started often on the basis of clinical signs only. The aim of this study was to validate a questionnaire to detect the risk of developing ESGD or EGGD. The owners of 418 horses that were submitted to gastroscopic evaluation were asked to answer a questionnaire on risk factors for ESGD and EGGD. Horses were divided into three groups based on the results of the questionnaire and their risk of developing gastric lesions. In our population the survey was not useful to detect the presence and the severity of the lesions detected during gastroscopic examination, however answers to some of the questions did correlate with the development of gastric lesions. The questionnaire could therefore be a useful tool to evaluate the risk of ESGD or EGGD. Having owners periodically complete the survey could also make them more aware of changes in the conditions of the horses that could lead to gastric lesions. This could then help them seek advice from veterinarians on how to manage this potential risk.