Veterinary Hypertension Management

📋 Course Outline

1. Systemic hypertension and causes
2. Target organ damage and clinical signs
3. When to start treatment
4. Dog antihypertensive therapy
5. Cat antihypertensive therapy
6. Adverse effects and RAAS activation

📖 1. Systemic hypertension and causes

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Systemic hypertension : Systemic hypertension is persistently elevated pressure in systemic arteries that raises the risk of target organ damage.
• Primary hypertension : Primary (essential) hypertension is idiopathic hypertension that is common in humans but extremely rare in dogs and cats.
• Secondary hypertension : Secondary hypertension results from a specific underlying disease that drives the elevated blood pressure.
• Target organ damage risk systems : The ocular, renal, cardiac, and neurologic systems are among the most vulnerable targets for organ damage.

📝 Essential Points

• Chronic renal disease is the most common associated disease with systemic hypertension.
• The treatment goal is to reduce blood pressure below 160 mm Hg to prevent lesions.
• Diabetes mellitus is linked to systemic hypertension in 46% to 55% of dogs and in less than 2% of cats.

💡 Memory Hook

Think 160 as the “treat-under” number that prevents lesions.

📖 2. Target organ damage and clinical signs

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions