Blood Test Misses Mark for Diagnosing Equine Gastric Ulcers

Still, the researchers say they hope continued research on the topic will make equine gastric ulcers easier to diagnose.
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Blood Test Misses Mark for Diagnosing Equine Gastric Ulcers
A promising new sucrose test might have led to simpler, cheaper testing. However, a recent study suggests the test lacks sufficient accuracy. | Photo: iStock
Diagnosing equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is both complicated and costly. But treating without a definite diagnosis is risky—and could waste a lot of money. A promising new sucrose test might have led to simpler, cheaper testing. However, a recent study suggests the test lacks sufficient accuracy.

“Unfortunately, in the population of adult horses that we studied, the test appears to be a fail in that it’s not sensitive enough to reliably identify horses with EGUS,” said Michael Hewetson, BSc (Hons), BVSc, Dipl. ECEIM, an internal medicine specialist at the University of Helsinki Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, in Finland.

“It’s a disappointment, as we were hopeful that the diagnostic accuracy of the test would be good following some promising early results in a pilot study that we had performed back in 2006,” he said.

That 2006 study, which focused on sucrose content in blood samples, followed a 2004 pilot study on sucrose levels in urine

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Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

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