Challenges in obesity and primary aldosteronism: Diagnosis and treatment

Screening and diagnosis of primary aldosteronism. Consensus document of all the Spanish Societies involved in the management of primary aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most frequent cause of secondary hypertension (HT), and is associated with a higher cardiometabolic risk than essential HT. However, PA remains underdiagnosed, probably due to several difficulties clinicians usually find in performing its diagnosis and subtype classification. The aim of this consensus is to provide practical recommendations focused on the prevalence and the diagnosis of PA and the clinical implications of aldosterone excess, from a multidisciplinary perspective, in a nominal group consensus approach by experts from the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), Spanish Society of Nephrology (SEN), Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI), Spanish Radiology Society (SERAM), Spanish Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (SERVEI), Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC(ML)), Spanish Society of Anatomic-Pathology, Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC).

Effect of Obesity on Clinical Characteristics of Primary Aldosteronism Patients at Diagnosis and Postsurgical Response

CONTEXT

Patients with obesity have an overactivated renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) that is associated with essential hypertension. However, the influence of obesity in primary aldosteronism (PA) is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed the effect of obesity on the characteristics of PA, and the association between obesity and RAAS components.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted of the Spanish PA Registry (SPAIN-ALDO Registry), which included patients with PA seen at 20 tertiary centers between 2018 and 2022. Differences between patients with and without obesity were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 415 patients were included; 189 (45.5%) with obesity. Median age was 55 years (range, 47.3-65.2 years) and 240 (58.4%) were male. Compared to those without obesity, patients with obesity had higher rates of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, obstructive apnea syndrome, left ventricular hypertrophy, prior cardiovascular events, higher means of systolic blood pressure, and required more antihypertensive drugs. Patients with PA and obesity also had higher values of serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, uric acid, and triglycerides, and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Levels of blood aldosterone (PAC) and renin were similar between patients with and without obesity. Body mass index was not correlated with PAC nor renin. The rates of adrenal lesions on imaging studies, as well as the rates of unilateral disease assessed by adrenal vein sampling or I-6β-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol scintigraphy, were similar between groups.

CONCLUSION

Obesity in PA patients involves a worse cardiometabolic profile, and need for more antihypertensive drugs but similar PAC and renin levels, and rates of adrenal lesions and lateral disease than patients without obesity. However, obesity implicates a lower rate of hypertension cure after adrenalectomy.

Primary Hyperaldosteronism: When to Suspect It and How to Confirm Its Diagnosis

The definition of primary hyperaldosteronism (PA) has shifted, as progress has been made in understanding the disease. PA can be produced by unilateral or bilateral cortical adrenal hyperproduction of aldosterone, due to hyperplasia, aldosterone-secreting cell clusters, aldosterone-producing macro or micro adenoma/s, and combinations of the above, or by an aldosterone-producing carcinoma. PA is a highly prevalent disease, affecting close to 10% of the hypertensive population. However, PA is clearly underdiagnosed. The purpose of this review is to address current knowledge of PA’s clinical manifestations, as well as current methods of diagnosis. PA is associated with a higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than essential hypertension with similar blood pressure control. Young hypertensive patients, those with a first-degree relative with PA or ictus, and/or those with apnea/hypopnea syndrome, moderate/severe/resistant hypertension, adrenal incidentaloma, and/or hypokalemia should be screened for PA. PA can induce atrial fibrillation (AF), and those patients should also be screened for PA. We propose the use of the Captopril challenge test (CCT), oral salt loading, or intravenous salt loading for PA diagnosis, given their availability in the majority of hospital centers. CCT could be first-line, since it is safe and easy to perform.