Primary Aldosteronism

From years spent studying estrogen-metabolizing enzymes to experimenting with recipes in the kitchen, Richard J. Auchus, MD, PhD, has always had a knack for chemistry.

Testing for primary aldosteronism was rare among a cohort of U.S. veterans with treatment-resistant hypertension, yet was associated with higher rates of evidence-based treatment and better longitudinal blood pressure control, data show.

Simply put, adrenal vein sampling carries high accuracy. Cross-sectional imaging with CT or MRI does not.

Primary aldosteronism, an adrenal disorder and a secondary cause of hypertension, has historically been considered a rare condition.

Researchers are urging clinicians to screen for primary aldosteronism more often after finding evidence that the condition is more common than previously thought and could be a primary cause of high BP.

Galectin-3 interacted with risk for fatal CV events associated with aldosterone in patients referred for coronary angiography, according to a study published in The American Journal of Cardiology.

Baseline plasma aldosterone concentration is independently associated with clinical and biochemical outcomes of treatment among adults with primary aldosteronism, and data suggest that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist therapy is the optimal strategy vs. adrenalectomy for those with a normal plasma aldosterone concentration, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

In rare cases of a concurrence of primary aldosteronism and subclinical Cushing’s syndrome, the two conditions did not exhibit any additive or synergic impact on glucose or potassium metabolism or maximum tumor diameter, according to findings published in BMC Endocrine Disorders.

A combination of the captopril challenge test and saline infusion test improves the diagnostic accuracy for primary aldosteronism when compared with a saline infusion test alone, according to findings published in Clinical Endocrinology.

A new predictive model based on Japanese registry data revealed several variables that can predict the normalization of blood pressure after adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism, including hypertension duration, BMI, number of BP drug prescriptions, diabetes status and sex, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.