Changes

==Description==

==Description==

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an inflammatory, obstructive respiratory disease of horses. Disease is induced by the exposure of susceptible animals to organic dust, which gives neutrophil influx to the airways, bronchospasm and mucus accumulation¹. This causes a cough, nasal discharge, and respiratory difficulty. When exposure to the allergen is eliminated, obstruction and clinical signs resolove or attenuate. However, animals are susceptible to reccurent episodes of airway obstruction throughout their lives, and so management is essential.  

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an inflammatory, obstructive respiratory disease of horses. Disease is induced by the exposure of susceptible animals to organic dust, which gives neutrophil influx to the airways, bronchospasm and mucus accumulation¹. This causes a cough, nasal discharge, and respiratory compromise. When exposure to the allergen is eliminated, obstruction and clinical signs resolove or attenuate. However, animals are susceptible to reccurent episodes of airway obstruction throughout their lives, and so management is essential.  

Since disease required exposure to organic dust, recurrent airway obstruction occurs in stabled horses that are, for example, bedded on straw and fed hay. The condition is therefore most prevalent in the northern hemisphere because horses tend to be stabled for large parts of their lives². Summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOD) is a similar condition that occurs when horses kept on pasture are sensitive to environmental allergens, and may be considered the same disease as RAO but with different inciting factors¹.

Since disease requires exposure to organic dust, recurrent airway obstruction occurs in stabled horses that are bedded on straw and fed hay. The condition is therefore most prevalent in the northern hemisphere because horses tend to be stabled for large parts of their lives². Summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOD) is a similar condition that occurs when horses kept on pasture are sensitive to environmental allergens, and may be considered the same disease as RAO but with different inciting factors¹.

==Pathogenesis==

==Pathogenesis==