title: Diagnostic frequency, response to therapy, and long-term prognosis among horses and ponies with pituitary par intermedia dysfunction, 1993-2004.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is common in older horses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine diagnosis frequency, prognostic factors, long-term survival, and owner satisfaction with treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records from horses diagnosed with PPID, 1993-2004.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort design with data collected from the Veterinary Medical Data Base (VMDB) and a cohort of 3 VTHs. Proportional accessions, annual incidence, and demographics were compared for all accessions. During the same period, a subset of medical records (n = 44) was extracted and owners (n = 34) contacted to obtain long-term follow-up information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diagnoses of PPID were reported for 217 horses that presented to VTHs and were reported to the VMDB. Proportional diagnosis increased from 0.25/1,000 in 1993 to 3.72/1,000 in 2002. For 44 horses included in the follow-up study, the most commons signs were hirsutism (84%) and laminitis (50%). Of 34 horse owners contacted, the average time from onset of signs to diagnosis was 180 days. Improvement in ≥ 1 signs, 2 months after diagnosis, was reported by 9/22 (41%) of horse owners. Clinical signs and clinicopathologic data were not associated with survival, and 50% of horses were alive 4.6 years after diagnosis. Cause of death among horses (15/20; 85%) was euthanasia, and 11/15 (73%) were euthanized because of conditions associated with PPID. Most horse owners (28/29; 97%) said they would treat a second horse for PPID.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PPID was diagnosed with increasing frequency, and 50% of horses survived 4.5 years after diagnosis. Owners were satisfied with their horses' quality of life and would treat a second horse if diagnosed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Rohrbach
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: R S W
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Clermont
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Schott
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006736:Horses; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D052716:Pituitary Gland, Intermediate / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis