Prevalens av osteochondros hos avkommor efter svenska halvblodshingstar
en retrospektiv tvärsnittstudie utförd med hjälp av rutinmässigt insamlade klinikdata från röntgade hästar vid ett svenskt djursjukhus
The main purpose of this study was to study the heredity of osteochondrosis (OC) in fetlock-, hock- or stifle joints within the Swedish half-bred population, using data from the regional animal hospital in Helsingborg.
A large number of horses with clinical symptoms, for example lameness, are radiographed every year at the regional animal hospital in Helsingborg. In addition, many clinically healthy horses are radiographed in order to be sold (inspection radiographed / export radiographed). This study is based on electronically stored data from horses in both of these groups of patients that underwent joint radiography at the regional hospital in Helsingborg during the years 1992-1999. The first file (inspection file) contained 1035 observations from 983 horses that had their fetlock-, hock - or stifle joints radiographed for inspection or export. The other file (clinical file) contained 6121 observations from 3800 horses that were radiographed due to clinical symptoms in the fetlock-, stifle or hock joints. Mainly horses with known fathers or maternal grandfathers were used in this study. For the fetlock joints 715 observations (horses) for fathers and 632 observations for maternal grandfathers from the inspection file were used and 1454 observations for fathers and 1218 observations for maternal grandfathers from the clinical file were used.
There was one stallion in the inspection file that statistically significantly deviated from the average with respect to osteochondrosis in the fetlock joints in the offspring. Also in the data from the file of horses with clinical symptoms this stallion deviated statistically significantly from the average. A high prevalence of osteochondrosis in the fetlock joint of the second generation offspring in both of the files was passed on by the maternal grandfather of this stallion. The same maternal grandfather is a paternal grandfather of another stallion that passes on a lot of osteochondrosis in the clinic file. This indicates that osteochondrosis in the fetlock joint can be passed on by the maternal as well as the paternal grandfather.
Another two stallions in the clinic file pass on a high prevalence of ostechondrosis in the fetlock joint. Apart from the high prevalence of ostechondrosis in the fetlock joint, one of the stallions pass on the highest prevalence of osteochondrosis in the stifle joint and the other stallion passes on the highest prevalence of ostechondrosis in the hock joint. This indicates that the same individual can pass on osteochondrosis in different specific joints.