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Skip Navigation LinksAll Horse Topics > Ailments/Syndromes > Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM)


Articles ( * = TheHorse.com members only )Date Posted
Equine Veterinary Group Releases Statement on Genetic Defects in Horses  *
This is the 2009 Statement on Genetic Defects released by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. It was approved in July 2009. Congenital Defects Congenital defects include all undesirable traits and pathologic conditions present at birth whether they are genetic or due to intra-uterine events that results from extra-uterine influences. ... Read full story
 8/4/2009
PSSM Genetic Mutation Reported in Some UK Horse Breeds   *
Collaborative efforts between researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have identified that a genetic mutation in enzyme glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) is an important cause of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM, a form of exertional rhabdomyolysis) in a variety of UK horse breeds including the Cob and Connemara-cross. Muscle biopsy of a horse ... Read full story
 6/18/2009
Researchers Examine Effects of Hay Carbs on PSSM Horses   *
University of Minnesota researchers have been examining the effects of feeding horses hay with varying levels of nonstructural carbohydrate content (NSC) in order to determine the best diets for horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Lisa Borgia, a PhD candidate under the direction of Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, presented ... Read full story
 6/8/2009
UK Incidence of Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Reported  *
Not only is polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) a common and important muscular disorder in various horse breeds in the United States, but according to a recent research report, it is also a common diagnosis in horses in the United Kingdom. In the study, "Prevalence of equine polysaccharide storage myopathy and other myopathies in two equine populations ... Read full story
 5/21/2009
AAEP 2008: Genetic Diagnosis of Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy   *
Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a metabolic muscle problem found in at least 20 breeds, including Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas, and drafts. An affected horse suffers bouts of exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying-up), muscle tremors, and/or gait abnormalities. At the 2008 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. ... Read full story
 3/13/2009
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy: Search for Underlying Causes Continues  *
Despite having recently identified a genetic defect that results in polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in many horses (see articles 11654 and 12725), the underlying cause of PSSM remains to be determined in others. According to a multi-institutional study on PSSM in Belgian horses, the overproduction of glycogen (rather than a decrease in glycogen ... Read full story
 10/6/2008
Genetic Mutation for Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Widespread  *
Veterinary researchers from the University of Minnesota have identified a gene potentially responsible for polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Quarter Horses and, in doing so, they uncovered a number of research leads to pursue. In a recent study investigators found the gene in nearly half of 36 different breeds of horses tested. They consider ... Read full story
 9/20/2008
Diagnosing Muscle Soreness
Q: Last year my 18-year-old Quarter Horse mare became very sensitive to touch on her back and hindquarters. It progressed to a slight hind limb lameness. She would stand with her back feet close together until eventually she would lean and prop her haunches against the barn wall. When the lameness was most severe, she could not walk straight, although ... Read full story
 6/1/2008
Muscle Disorders in Warmbloods Easily Diagnosed through Biopsy  *
Owners of Warmbloods with debilitating--or sometimes just plain baffling--muscle disorders can get useful and reliable answers about their horses' conditions through a relatively simple muscle biopsy. So say University of Minnesota researchers, who in a recent study also reported that the most common muscle disorders identified in these types of breeds ... Read full story
 4/16/2008
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy: Blame It on the Genes   *
A genetic mutation in an enzyme called muscle glycogen synthase might be responsible for polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM)--a debilitating and life-threatening disease in horses characterized by abnormally high glycogen (the storage form of glucose) levels in skeletal muscles. PSSM is currently estimated to affect more than one-third of draft ... Read full story
 4/11/2008
2007 Morris Animal Foundation Equine Research Wrap-Up  *
The results of equine research funded by the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) in 2007 added to scientists' understanding of foal pneumonia, hereditary muscle disorders, laminitis, and pharmacology. Summaries of MAF-funded equine studies completed in 2007 are listed below. The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) will fund about 120 animal health ... Read full story
 12/14/2007
New Research on PSSM Prevalence, Heritability in Progress   *
Researchers with the University of Minnesota have identified polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in 6-12% of overtly healthy Quarter Horses on six farms involved in a new study. They also said the disease could be more common within certain breeding populations. The study, published in the Sept. 1 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary ... Read full story
 10/4/2007
Morris Animal Foundation Funding 11 Equine Studies in 2008  *
In 2008, the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) will fund about 120 animal health studies, including 11 new and continuing studies for horses. Equine enthusiasts are invited to sponsor or co-sponsor one of these studies with a total gift of $3,000 or more per study. MAF has committed to funding more than $4.6 million in traditional animal health studies ... Read full story
 9/25/2007
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy  *
Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, professor of large animal medicine and director of the University of Minnesota's Equine Center discussed PSSM at the AAEP Convention 2006. The disorder causes muscle pain, stiffness, and cramping, and some horses demonstrate exercise intolerance, poor performance, muscle weakness, atrophy, or related behavioral changes. ... Read full story
 7/9/2007
Diagnostic Approach To Equine Muscle Disorders  *
Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, professor of large animal medicine and director of the University of Minnesota's Equine Center, began the in-depth seminar on muscle disorders by discussing diagnosis of muscle disorders, beginning with a careful physical exam and concise history of the clinical problem. She said in most cases, a muscle disorder arises ... Read full story
 7/7/2007
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Discussion Planned at SmartPak Store  *
Most horse owners are familiar with the term "tying up," which describes the pain and cramping of a horse's muscles with exercise. Veterinarians refer to this condition as exertional rhabdomyolysis, and now recognize a specific type known as Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy, or PSSM. Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy A separate ... Read full story
 6/14/2007
Finding and Testing Low-Sugar Forage
Did the brown, stemmy, overmature hay you thought was perfect for your easy keepers make them even fatter? Are increased sugar concentrations in your pasture causing your pony's recent bouts of laminitis, or increased muscle soreness in your equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM)-afflicted horse? Could high fructan levels caused by recent ... Read full story
 5/14/2007
AAEP Convention 2006: Muscle Disorders  *
Diagnostic Approach To Equine Muscle Disorders Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, professor of large animal medicine and director of the University of Minnesota's Equine Center, began the in-depth seminar on muscle disorders by discussing diagnosis of muscle disorders, beginning with a careful physical exam and concise history of the clinical problem. ... Read full story
 3/1/2007
ACVIM 2006: Prevalence of PSSM in Quarter Horses  *
Up to 6% of apparently healthy Quarter Horses could have subclinical (inapparent) polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), and that percentage could be even higher in populations used specifically for breeding. Researchers at the University of Minnesota said that inadvertently breeding horses that have subclinical PSSM will perpetuate the disease in ... Read full story
 9/14/2006
Genetic Disease: Who's At Risk?  *
Many of today's scientific advancements are based on genetic technology, and medicine is at the cutting edge of gene discovery. Equine medicine is no different. Using the very information code for life in genes, scientists are working to: Prevent devastating or career-ending diseases through informed breeding; Gain new knowledge on conditions ... Read full story
 10/1/2005
AAEP 2002: A Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rhabdomyolysis in Foals  *
We hear a lot about a horse experiencing rhabdomyolysis (tying-up) during or after exercise. However, foals are also susceptible to muscle damage. Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, presented "A Review of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Rhabdomyolysis in Foals" at the 2002 American Association of Equine Practitioner's Convention. ... Read full story
 2/13/2003
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy and Back Pain  *
As many as 40% of all cases of equine back pain are the result of soft tissue injury. The primary causes include chronic and recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (CER and RER, respectively), and an inherited enzyme deficiency called polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Quarter Horses, Warmbloods, and draft horses are particularly susceptible to PSSM, ... Read full story
 8/1/2002




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