Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High blood pressure in elderly cats in the Netherlands study
By Knies, Marieke et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2023·AniCura Clinic Drechtstreek, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of persistent hypertension and situational hypertension in a population of elderly cats in The Netherlands.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of elderly cats, aged 10 years and older, was checked for high blood pressure, which can be harmful to their health. The study found that at least 14.6% of these cats had persistent high blood pressure, while about 5.4% experienced temporary spikes in blood pressure due to stress during the measurement. Factors like age and stress levels affected the results, but the cat's weight or sex did not. This highlights the need for careful monitoring and repeated checks to accurately assess blood pressure in older cats.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Systemic arterial hypertension is increasingly recognised and can have serious adverse consequences in cats. Unfortunately, the act of measuring blood pressure itself may cause an increase in blood pressure, known as situational hypertension. It is currently unknown how often this phenomenon occurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of persistent hypertension and situational hypertension in an elderly population of cats in a first-opinion clinic and to assess which factors were associated with systolic hypertension. METHODS: In this prospective study, systolic blood pressure was measured in 185 cats aged ⩾10 years using the Doppler sphygmomanometry method according to the recommendations of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement. Age, sex, body weight, body condition score, position during blood pressure measurement and apparent stress level were assessed. If a systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg was found, measurements were repeated to evaluate if persistent hypertension or situational hypertension was present. The first set of blood pressure measurements were used for all the statistical analyses. RESULTS: The median systolic blood pressure for this population was 140 mmHg. The prevalence of persistent hypertension was at least 14.6% and situational hypertension at least 5.4%. Factors significantly associated with hypertension were age, higher apparent stress levels and a sitting position during measurement. Sex, body weight or body condition score did not significantly influence systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Both persistent hypertension and situational hypertension are common in elderly cats. There are no reliable parameters to distinguish between the two, underlining the importance of a standard protocol and repeating measurements during a follow-up visit when hypertension is found. Age, demeanour and body position during blood pressure measurement influenced blood pressure in this population of elderly cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37278217/