News Notes

What Increases the Risk for Strangulating Lipoma?

By Modern Equine Vet News Staff

Older horses, particularly of certain breeds, are at increased risk for a strangulating lipoma (SLO), according to a recent study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal (https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.70104).

Researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom performed a prospective, case-controlled study looking at horses with strangulating lipoma at 4 hospitals. The horses’ diagnosis was confirmed by an exploratory laparotomy, and there were 3 controls for each case, which were selected randomly (55 strangulating lipoma cases and 167 matched controls).

Of the cases, 42 were presented to UK veterinarians, and 13 were in the United States.

Risk factors
The researchers found the risk for this common cause of small intestinal strangulation increased as the patient aged, with the odds increasing by 15% for each passing year. Cases are rare among horses 8 years old and younger, the researchers said. However, “whist age is an important risk factor for SLO colic, other non-age-related factors also are associated with increased disease risk,” the researchers wrote.

Certain breeds, particularly Pony, Welsh Section
D/Cob, American Quarter Horse, American Paint Horse, Appaloosa and Arabians were at increased risk for developing SLO over other breeds, particularly Thoroughbreds (P=0.012). Other risk factors included history of laminitis (P=0.003) and a change in the time they spent in a stable—either more or less—within the past 4 weeks (P=0.003), the researchers found.

The researchers suggested that weight management and addressing equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), if present, would reduce the SLO risk (P=0.003). However, they said larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

“Laminitis prevention, weight/EMS management and avoidance of sudden changes in stabling duration may be important ways to reduce the likelihood of SLO in high-risk horses,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers added this information could be used to optimize patient outcomes if it helps people recognize the condition sooner, enabling earlier surgical intervention. MeV