According to Horse Channel, a new injectable treatment from CrossCoat Medical used in horses to treat DDSP may help humans who snore.
A new invention first used on horses in Lexington, Kentucky., could eventually benefit up to half of the United State population: snorers. CrossCoat Medical, LLC, has created an injectable treatment that helps horses that have exercise-induced dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). This condition is where the soft palate in a horse is not rigid enough; it moves, covering the epiglottis and creating an airway obstruction that limits athletic performance. Similarly, snoring in humans occurs when the muscles of the soft palate and throat relax, partially blocking the airway.
What IS DDSP?
Seen most often in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses, DDSP is also called “roaring.” If you’ve ever heard a horse make a gurgling noise when he exhales as he is jumping or galloping, chances are good that he is a “roarer.” Other common terms are that a horse has “swallowed his tongue,” he “chokes down” or “flipped his palate,” – these all mean the same thing: that part of his soft palate is impeding how he breathes. This condition is also common in horses that are asked to hold their heads in a high arched position, like Saddlebreds and Hackneys.
While roaring is not an issue for most riding horses, it can be an issue for horses that are at the elite levels of their sport (think top-level eventers and endurance horses) and for racehorses, who work at a high rate of speed where maximum air intake is key.
