Abstract
EMND is a neurodegenerative disease of horses which resembles human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Since the original report in 1990, there have been more than 200 cases documented worldwide. The disease occurs mainly in horses with no or little access to grass and is always associated with vitamin E deficiency. Main symptoms are weight loss in the face of a normal to increased appetite, muscle tremors and excessive recumbency. Furthermore, pigmentretinopathy and black tartar can occur in horses affected with EMND. A decreased glucose curve in horses with EMND during oral glucose tolerance test is attributed to an enhanced glucose metabolism rather than to intestinal glucose transport dysfunction. A tentative diagnosis based on history, clinical signs and a low plasma Vitamin E level is confirmed by muscle and/or nerve biopsy. EMND can not be cured, but approximately 40 % of horse with EMND show improvement in clinical signs over years under vitamin-E supplementation. The remaining 60 % are euthanized because of clinical deterioration or permanent gait abnormalities.
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