Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survey of the therapeutic approach and efficacy of pentosan polysulfate for the prevention and treatment of equine osteoarthritis in veterinary practice in Australia.
- Journal:
- Australian veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Kramer, C M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Faculty of Veterinary Science · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Veterinarians in Australia were surveyed about how they use a treatment called pentosan polysulfate (PPS) for horses with osteoarthritis (OA), which is a joint condition. Out of 76 responses, most vets reported using PPS mainly to prevent OA before competitions, and nearly half believed it was very effective for this purpose. The typical treatment involved giving PPS as an injection once a week for four weeks, then monthly. Many vets also combined PPS with other medications, like corticosteroids and hyaluronate, believing this combination worked better for treating OA, although cost was a major reason some chose not to use it. Overall, while vets are using PPS for OA treatment and prevention, more research is needed to confirm how well it actually works.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To survey veterinary practitioners in Australia on how they administer pentosan polysulfate (PPS) to horses and their perceptions of the efficacy of PPS for: the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), the treatment of OA when PPS is combined with other drugs, and the efficacy of PPS compared with other disease-modifying osteoarthritic drugs. DESIGN: Practitioners were contacted by email, which contained a link to an online survey. RESULTS: A total of 76 responses (34.5%) to the survey were received. Respondents most commonly used PPS as prophylactic therapy prior to competition (80.3%). As a prophylactic agent, PPS was considered by 48.2% of respondents to have high efficacy. The most common dose regimen for prevention and treatment of OA was 3 mg/kg, intramuscularly, once weekly for 4 weeks followed by monthly injections. Most respondents (78%) combined PPS with other drugs for treatment of OA. Intra-articular corticosteroids and hyaluronate (HA) was the most common drug combination used with PPS. PPS was preferred as a prophylactic agent when compared with HA (88.7% vs 11.3%). For treating OA, 83% of respondents considered a combination of PPS, HA and glucosamine to be more efficacious than PPS alone. However, the most common reason not to use this combination was cost (79.1%). CONCLUSION: All respondents used PPS for prophylaxis and/or treatment of OA despite limited published scientific evidence proving its efficacy in horses. Further research is necessary to provide evidence of the clinical efficacy of PPS for the prevention and treatment of OA in horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25424761/