Do Vets And VNs Know Their Numbers When It Comes To Feline Blood Pressure?
3 years ago 
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Veterinary practices around the country are being urged to offer blood pressure checks to their feline patients during ‘Know Your Numbers Week!’, an initiative that has successfully encouraged thousands of people to get their blood pressure checked so they can get the treatment and support they require to bring it under control.
During ‘Know Your Numbers Week!’, which runs from 6-12 September, and inline with the human health campaign which is in its 21st year, veterinary professionals are being asked to focus on the ‘forgotten prevalence of high blood pressure and its control both now and in the future’ and are being encouraged to spread the word about the importance of feline blood pressure checks amongst cat owners whose pets are seven years of age and older1.
Recent insights during Ceva Animal Health’s Mercury Challenge2 revealed that more than 40 per cent of cats enrolled in the initiative were hypertensive, with a blood pressure about 30 per cent higher than the blood pressure value found in healthy cats and the mean age of hypertensive cats was found to be 13 years old.
Ceva Animal Health has produced some ‘Know Your Numbers Week!’ facts to help generate conversations between veterinary professionals and cat owners. They include:
- It is estimated that one in five3 cats from nine years of age may suffer from high blood pressure, many of which are undiagnosed
- Four organs may be damaged due to high blood pressure in cats – eyes, brain, kidneys and heart
- A cat is generally thought to be hypertensive when its systolic blood pressure is above 160mm Hg1
- Best practice is to discard the first blood pressure reading and then take the average systolic blood pressure from five further readings
“Know Your Numbers Week! is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the risks of feline hypertension, which is known as the ‘silent killer’ as it often develops insidiously without any early signs, and the importance of regular blood pressure checks in cats seven years of age and older to help detect, treat and control the condition,” comments Nicki Glen, marketing project manager at Ceva Animal Health.
Ceva has a range of resources available to support veterinary practices, including those that wish to set up vet nurse blood pressure clinics. The digital hypertension tool kit is available by registering on the Ease the Pressure website - www.easethepressure.co.uk. It features information on the Hypertension CPD Hub, an Ease the Pressure pack containing resources to support vet practices and owner communications and details on Ceva’s online Hypertension Ambassador CPD course. A vet practice social media pack is also available.
For further information, please visit www.easethepressure.co.uk or contact your local Ceva territory manager.
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References
1. Taylor SS, Sparkes AH, et al. ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Hypertension in Cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2017.19(3):288-303
2. Mercury Challenge, 2020. Over 10,000 cats over seven years of age including 4,000 in the UK, 1,500 in Spain, 1,300 in Italy and 1,200 in France and the Nordics
3. Conroy et al Survival diagnosis of hypertension in cats attending primary care practice in the UK. JVIM 2018 32 (6)
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