The Campaign "Because I Say So” Continues

Get your blood pressure checked!

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it can lead to serious cardiovascular disease despite there being no signs or symptoms. A blood pressure test is the only way to find out if your blood pressure is too high. In light of these facts, and in collaboration with the May Measurement Month campaign run by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), Servier launched a new worldwide campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of having your blood pressure checked regularly.

The international awareness campaign “Because I Say So,” launched by Servier and supported by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), aims to refocus public attention by encouraging young adults to motivate their parents and loved-ones to get their blood pressure checked.

Having their blood pressure checked lets older adults know where they stand and allows them to manage their blood pressure to reduce their risk of a cardiac event. The purpose of the campaign is to put this disease back in the spotlight because talking to those around you – friends or family – about hypertension can make a difference in their lives.

Maia Khetsuriani, the General Manager of French pharmaceutical company Servier’s representative office in Georgia discusses the details, ideas and implementation of the “Because I Say So” campaign.

Ms. Maia, could you tell us few words about Servier?

Servier is a French pharmaceutical company with a worldwide presence in 140 countries, with more than 40 years of research experience. Servier has been operating in the Georgian market for 15 years and for its anniversary date, we decided to implement the social responsibility project “Get your blood pressure checked – Because I Say So,” which is a part of a global campaign. Taking care of patients is the main goal of the company and as a result, more than 15 million patients worldwide manage hypertension with Servier’s effective medicine.

What is the purpose of the campaign “Get your blood pressure checked – Because I Say So”?

The main objective of the campaign is to focus on the younger generation and motivate them in order to encourage their parents, relatives, and friends to regulate and control arterial pressure regularly. The campaign's creative “Because I Say So” idea echoes what parents say to their children when they need them to behave. Now these children are grown up, it's their turn, and their responsibility, to tell their parents what they need to do for their own good – get their blood pressure checked! Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, is widespread both worldwide and in Georgia. Many people are not even aware that they suffer from hypertension. A part of the society has some information regarding hypertension, but do not perceive increased blood pressure and complications seriously. Consequently, they do not treat the disease systematically. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of hypertension – a global problem that is now treatable, and the first step to diagnose it is to simply check the blood pressure.

What are the symptoms of arterial hypertension?

A patient may experience headaches, nausea and dizziness. However, sometimes it has no visible symptoms and is even referred to as a ‘silent killer.’ It is vital to know that increased blood pressure can lead to serious complications such as heart attack and stroke. As we’ve mentioned, diagnosing the disease initially is a blood pressure check, which is quick, simple and non-invasive. Timely diagnosis is of great importance in order to avoid cardio-vascular complications, disabilities or fatal consequences.

The campaign has been going on for 1 month, what events took place during this period?

Many events and activities have been initiated in this period, including the active involvement of the medical and public society. Through the official page of Servier Georgia, anyone can get extensive information regarding the campaign and hypertension in general. More information is available on our website: www.BISS.ge. Additionally, we filmed a video with the participation of some famous Georgian faces - Duta Skhirtladze, Nika Tsulukidze, Ruska Makashvili, Ani Chiradze, Giorgi Kekelidze, Lela Meburishvili acted as goodwill ambassadors for the campaign, asking their parents to get their blood pressure checked.

What are your plans for the future?

In general, the French pharmaceutical company Servier is the initiator of numerous important projects. “Get your blood pressure checked – Because I Say So” is our most patient-oriented and large-scale project of this year in Georgia. We think that the campaign is successfully being executed and many have learned about hypertension. We have received a lot of positive feedback from the community. We want to continue discussing this topic for the next few months and for this reason, have planned activities throughout Georgia. We hope that more will join and support us, in order to raise awareness and periodically inform family and relatives to check their blood pressure. This will be a crucial step forward towards fighting and preventing hypertension.