title: Primary aldosteronism: are we diagnosing and operating on too few patients?
abstract: Many cases of potentially curable primary aldosteronism are currently likely to be diagnosed as essential hypertension unless screening tests based on suppression of renin are carried out in all hypertensive patients. More than half of the patients with primary aldosteronism detected in this way have normal circulating potassium levels, so measurement of potassium is not enough to exclude primary aldosteronism. When primary aldosteronism is diagnosed, fewer than one-third of patients are suitable for surgery as initial treatment, but this still represents a significant percentage of hypertensive patients. After excluding glucocorticoid-suppressible primary aldosteronism, adrenal venous sampling is essential to detect unilateral production of aldosterone and diagnose angiotensin-responsive aldosterone-producing adenoma. One cannot rely on the computed tomography scan. If all hypertensive patients are screened for primary aldosteronism and the workup is continued methodically in those with a positive screening test, patients with unilateral overproduction of aldosterone who potentially can be cured surgically are not denied the possibility of cure.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine-Hypertension Research Unit, University of Queensland, Department of Medicine, Greenslopes Hospital, Brisbane 4120, Australia. med.gslopes@mailbox.uq.edu.au
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stowasser
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rutherford
mesh_terms: D000450:Aldosterone / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D003940:Diagnostic Techniques, Endocrine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013507:Endocrine Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000450:Aldosterone; D011188:Potassium