here - Australian College of Veterinary Scientists

others 2001), isotretinoin(Waldinger and others 1983), allopurinol (Pollock 1991),
levamisol (Veien 1986) and tranilast (Yamada and others 1995), but controlled
studies are lacking. Many of these agents have immunomodulating properties.
Treatment with penicillin, sulfonamid/trimethoprim and doxycyclin was without
beneficial effect. All but one horse responded to administration of
prednisolone/prednisone, typically at 1.0 to 1.5 mg/kg -1 q24h for 1 to 6 weeks
followed by a gradual dose reduction. Alternative therapy to glucocorticoids (as
advocated in human cutaneous disease) has not been evaluated in horses. Five of the
seven horses were still alive one year after diagnosis; one was still alive 8 months
after diagnosis and then lost to follow up. In two horses, prednisolone led to
complete remission, but clinical signs initially recurred after cessation of therapy.
These two horses went into remission again with reintroduction of treatment.
Overall, 4/ 6 known horses are still alive 1 to 8 years after diagnosis without any
treatment. This seems to indicate a fair to good prognosis for horses with cutaneous
sarcoidosis. Based on previous reports, concurrent systemic signs indicate a guarded
prognosis. However, the only horse in our study with systemic signs responded to
glucocorticoid administration. None of the horses in our study died within one year.
In previously reported cases, deterioration was rapid and occurred within a few
weeks. We may indeed have a skewed sample selection, but it just may be possible
that early presentation and treatment with glucocorticoids prevented generalisation
of the disease in our cases.
ACVSC Proceedings Dermatology Chapter Science Week 2005 63