Endocrine hypertension: then and now.
OBJECTIVE
To review the first reported cases of successfully treated pheochromocytoma and primary aldosteronism and to document the diagnostic and therapeutic advances that have occurred since the initial descriptions.


METHODS
The original case descriptions and the subsequent pertinent literature were reviewed.


RESULTS
The successful management of the initial cases of pheochromocytoma in 1926 and primary aldosteronism in 1954 was highlighted by keen clinical observation, clinical intuition, and application of scientific principles. Since those prismatic case descriptions, the technological advances in laboratory-based diagnosis, radiology-based tumor localization, and surgical approaches to the adrenal glands have been truly remarkable.


CONCLUSIONS
The evolution in the diagnosis and treatment of pheochromocytoma will continue to progress as we identify more genetic causes, develop biochemical markers for "preclinical" pheochromocytoma, identify better markers for malignant disease, and develop more effective treatment options for malignant pheochromocytoma. Over the next decade, we hope to determine the pathophysiology for bilateral idiopathic hyperaldosteronism, develop less invasive and less technically demanding tests to distinguish between unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral idiopathic hyperaldosteronism, determine where low renin hypertension stops and primary aldosteronism starts, and determine the impact of genetic and environmental factors on aldosterone secretion in patients with and without primary aldosteronism.
Young
William F
WF
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. Young.William@Mayo.edu
D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000503:physiopathology; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004704:Endocrinology / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy