title: Impact of aldosterone-producing adenoma on cardiac structures in echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a most common cause of secondary hypertension. In PA, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is more progressive than in any other cause of hypertension. Aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) are major subtypes of PA. However there is little information concerned with differences of cardiac structures between these two subtypes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed echocardiographic findings in 46 patients with PA. All patients had a positive screen test and subtypes of PA were confirmed by adrenal vein sampling. Subjects consisted of 20 patients with APA (APA group, 52.4 ± 10.8 years) and 26 patients with IHA (IHA group, 56.2 ± 9.5 years). We investigated differences of cardiac structures and functions in the left atrium and ventricle between the APA group and IHA group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In terms of clinical characteristics, the height and duration of hypertension were greater and serum potassium concentration and BMI were lower in the APA group than in the IHA group. Plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and PAC to plasma renin activity ratio were higher in the APA group than in the IHA group. In echocardiographic assessment, the left atrial volume, left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters, left ventricular mass (LVM), and prevalence of LVH were greater in the APA group than in the IHA group. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the diagnosis of APA independently correlated with left atrial volume, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and LVM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that differences of cardiac structures between the APA group and IHA group existed. In APA, left atrial enlargement and LVH were more prominent than in IHA.
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Health, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima Japan.
authors: Takayuki
authors: T
authors: Hidaka
authors: Tsuguka
authors: T
authors: Shiwa
authors: Yuichi
authors: Y
authors: Fujii
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Nishioka
authors: Hiroto
authors: H
authors: Utsunomiya
authors: Ken
authors: K
authors: Ishibashi
authors: Naoya
authors: N
authors: Mitsuba
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Dohi
authors: Noboru
authors: N
authors: Oda
authors: Kensuke
authors: K
authors: Noma
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Kurisu
authors: Yukiko
authors: Y
authors: Nakano
authors: Hideya
authors: H
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Takafumi
authors: T
authors: Iishida
authors: Yukihito
authors: Y
authors: Higashi
authors: Yasuki
authors: Y
authors: Kihara
keywords: Aldosterone; Echocardiography; Hypertension; Hypertrophy