Updates on Equine Endocrinological Disorders: PPID and EMS
New insights into PPID and EMS, including risk factors, hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis, and the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in managing insulin dysfunction.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of EquiManagement. Sign up herefor a FREE subscription to EquiManagement’s quarterly digital or print magazine and any special issues.Laminitis risk increases when ID, obesity, and PPID overlap. | Adobe Stock
At a Boehringer Ingelheim webinar, Kelsey Hart, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM), the Hodgson Chair of Equine Studies at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, presented updates on two main endocrinological disorders in horses.
Risk Factors for PPID and EMS
In horses older than 15 years, 20% may be affected by pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). PPID can affect as many as 30% of horses over 30 years of age. As a progressive disease that develops in middle-aged or older horses, PPID results in excessive release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and related peptides from hyperplasia or adenoma of the pars intermedia tissue of the pituitary gland. This occurs due to degeneration of hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons undergoing oxidative damage.
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