Primary hyperaldosteronism resident survival guide

Template:Primary hyperladosteronism Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Syed Hassan A. Kazmi BSc, MD [2]

Causes

Common Causes

Common causes of Conn's Syndrome may be divided into:

• Adrenal causes:
  • Aldosterone-secreting adrenal adenoma (APA-benign tumor, 50-60%)
  • Idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA-Bilateral hyperplasia of the adrenal gland, 40-50%)
• Extra-adrenal causes
  • Ectopic secretion of aldosterone (Ovaries and Kidneys)

Less Common Causes

• Familial hyperaldosteronism type I (glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism [GRA])
• Familial hyperaldosteronism II (the familial occurrence of APA or bilateral idiopathic hyperplasia or both)
• Familial hyperaldosteronism type III (associated with the germline mutation in the KCNJ5 potassium channel)
• Pure aldosterone-producing adrenocortical carcinomas
• Unilateral adrenal hyperplasia

Diagnosis and Treatment

Preferred screening population: • Blood pressure > 160 / 100 particularly (< 50 years) • Resistant hypertension or refractory hypertension (use of > 3 anti-hypertensives and poor control of blood pressure) • Hypokalemia (provoked by diuretic therapy or unprovoked) • Hypertension and incidentally discovered adrenal adenoma • Hypertension with a family history of early-onset hypertension (< 20 years) or cerebrovascular accident at age less than 40 years • Hypertensive first-degree relatives of patients with PA

Plasma Renin Activity/Aldosterone Ratio

Normal or High Renin (Plasma Renin/Aldosterone ratio <10

Suppressed Renin (Plasma Renin/Aldosterone ratio >20

•Renin-secreting tumors •Diuretic use •Renovascular hypertension •Coarctation of aorta •Malignant phase hypertension

Urinary aldosterone

Elevated

Normal

Low

Conn's syndrome (Primary aldosteronism)

Profound K+ depletion

• 17 alpha hydroxylase deficiency • 11 beta hydroxylase deficiency • Liddle's syndrome • Licorice ingestion •Deoxycorticosterone producing tumor

Do confirmatory tests: •Fludrocortisone supression test OR •Intravenous saline load testing OR •Oral sodium loading test OR •Captopril challenge test

Add Mineralocrticoid antagonist for 8 weeks

BP response

No BP response

• Deoxycorticosterone excess( Tumor, 17 alpha hydroxylase and 11 beta hydroxylase deficiency) • Licorice ingestion •Glucocorticoid resistance

Liddle's syndrome)