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Sarfo-Adu BN, Jayatilake D, Oyibo SO. A Case of Recurrent Gestational Hypokalemia Due to an Exaggerated Physiological Response to Pregnancy: The Importance of Using Pregnancy-Specific Reference Ranges. Cureus 2023; 15:e51213. [PMID: 38161527 PMCID: PMC10755627 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypokalemia in pregnancy can occur secondary to hemodilution of pregnancy, physiological changes during pregnancy, or other pathological conditions. It should be investigated the same way as in non-pregnancy with particular emphasis on the importance of using pregnancy-specific reference ranges when interpreting clinical laboratory test results. Here, we present a case of a woman who had late-trimester gestational hypokalemia requiring potassium supplementation affecting four consecutive pregnancies. We thought that there was accompanying hypomagnesemia and hypobicarbonatemia in previous pregnancies, so we suspected a form of renal tubular dysfunction exacerbated by pregnancy. Subsequent investigation and the use of pregnancy-specific reference ranges revealed that this was an exaggerated physiological response to pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samson O Oyibo
- Diabetes and Endocrinology, Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough, GBR
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Sanga V, Rossitto G, Seccia TM, Rossi GP. Management and Outcomes of Primary Aldosteronism in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review. Hypertension 2022; 79:1912-1921. [PMID: 35686552 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.121.18858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Primary aldosteronism (PA) in pregnancy (PAP) can be a serious condition and is challenging to diagnose. This study was conceived to help in the diagnosis of PAP and provide suggestions on management of PAP based on evidence retrieved using a Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome search strategy. Based on the changes of aldosterone and renin occurring in normal pregnancies, we developed a nomogram that will allow to identify PAP cases. Moreover, we found that published PAP cases fell into 4 main groups differing for management and outcomes: (1) unilateral medically treated, (2) unilateral surgically treated, (3) bilateral medically treated and (4) familial forms. Results showed that complications involved 62.2% of pregnant women with nonfamilial PA and 18.5% of those with familial hyperaldosteronism type I. Adrenalectomy during pregnancy in women with PAP did not improve maternal and fetal outcomes, over medical treatment alone. Moreover, cure of maternal hypertension and mother and baby outcome were better when unilateral PA was discovered and surgically treated before or after pregnancy. Therefore, fertile women with arterial hypertension should be screened for PA before pregnancy and, if necessary, subtyped to identify unilateral forms of PA. This will allow to furnish adequate counseling, a chance for surgical cure and, therefore, for a pregnancy not complicated by aldosterone excess.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola Sanga
- Internal and Emergency Medicine Unit (V.S., G.R., T.M.S., G.P.R.), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padua, Italy.,PhD Arterial Hypertension and Vascular Biology (V.S.), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rossitto
- Internal and Emergency Medicine Unit (V.S., G.R., T.M.S., G.P.R.), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padua, Italy.,Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (G.R.)
| | - Teresa Maria Seccia
- Internal and Emergency Medicine Unit (V.S., G.R., T.M.S., G.P.R.), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Gian Paolo Rossi
- Internal and Emergency Medicine Unit (V.S., G.R., T.M.S., G.P.R.), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padua, Italy
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Downie E, Shanmugalingam R, Hennessy A, Makris A. Assessment and Management of Primary Aldosteronism in Pregnancy: A Case-Control Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022; 107:e3152-e3158. [PMID: 35569086 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgac311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common secondary cause of hypertension. Literature regarding PA in pregnancy has demonstrated poor outcomes. OBJECTIVE Compare the management and outcomes of PA in pregnancy to both high and low-risk matched controls. METHODS This was a case-control trial conducted in a network of metropolitan hospitals in Sydney, Australia. PA women (positive salt suppression test) with singleton pregnancies delivered after 20 weeks' gestation were matched to women with high- and low-risk pregnancies. Management outcomes included pre-eclampsia prophylaxis and antihypertensive medications required prenatally, antenatally, and postnatally. Maternal outcomes included incidence of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, hypokalemia, mode of delivery, and length of stay postpartum. Neonatal outcomes included gestation, birthweight, intensive care unit admission, and length of stay. RESULTS Fifty-nine women with 60 pregnancies were included (20 PA, 20 high risk, and 20 low risk). The number of antihypertensive medications women with PA took prepregnancy was similar to the high-risk group. A similar proportion of women in the PA and high-risk groups were prescribed pre-eclampsia prophylaxis and developed pre-eclampsia. Even after adjustment for several factors, PA was not independently associated with pre-eclampsia development. Women with PA had higher antihypertensive requirements and a longer stay in hospital postpartum than the high-risk group (both P = .02). There was no difference in neonatal adverse outcomes. Four women took epleronone during pregnancy without any adverse effects noted. CONCLUSION Women with PA required more antihypertensives and had a longer postpartum length of stay than matched high-risk women, but similar rates of pre-eclampsia. There was no difference in the rate of neonatal intensive care admissions or adverse outcomes for neonates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Downie
- Department of Renal Medicine, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), New South Wales (NSW), Australia
| | - Renuka Shanmugalingam
- Department of Renal Medicine, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), New South Wales (NSW), Australia
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia
- Women's Health Initiative Translational Unit (WHITU), Ingham Institute, SWSLHD, NSW, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia
| | - Annemarie Hennessy
- Department of Renal Medicine, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), New South Wales (NSW), Australia
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia
- Women's Health Initiative Translational Unit (WHITU), Ingham Institute, SWSLHD, NSW, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia
| | - Angela Makris
- Department of Renal Medicine, South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), New South Wales (NSW), Australia
- School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia
- Women's Health Initiative Translational Unit (WHITU), Ingham Institute, SWSLHD, NSW, Australia
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia
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Landau E, Amar L. Primary aldosteronism and pregnancy. ANNALES D'ENDOCRINOLOGIE 2016; 77:148-60. [PMID: 27156905 DOI: 10.1016/j.ando.2016.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Hypertension (HT) is a complication of 8% of all pregnancies and 10% of HT cases are due to primary aldosteronism (PA). There is very little data on PA and pregnancy. Given the changes in the renin angiotensin system during pregnancy, the diagnosis of PA is difficult to establish during gestation. It may be suspected in hypertensive patients with hypokalemia. A comprehensive literature review identified reports covering 40 pregnancies in patients suffering from PA. Analysis of these cases shows them to be high-risk pregnancies leading to maternal and fetal complications. Pregnancy must be programmed, and if the patient has a unilateral form of PA, adrenalectomy should be performed prior to conception. It is customary to stop spironolactone prior to conception and introduce antihypertensive drugs that present no risk of teratogenicity. When conventional antihypertensive drugs used during pregnancy fail to control high blood pressure, diuretics, including potassium-sparing diuretics may be prescribed. Adrenalectomy can be considered during the second trimester of pregnancy exclusively in cases of refractory hypertension. A European retrospective study is currently underway to collect a larger number of cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Landau
- Université Paris-Descartes Faculty of Medicine, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Laurence Amar
- Hypertension Unit, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, 20, rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France.
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Morton A. Primary aldosteronism and pregnancy. Pregnancy Hypertens 2015; 5:259-62. [PMID: 26597737 DOI: 10.1016/j.preghy.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Primary aldosteronism is the most common cause of secondary hypertension. Less than 50 cases of pregnancy in women with primary aldosteronism have been reported, suggesting the disorder is significantly underdiagnosed in confinement. Accurate diagnosis is complicated by physiological changes in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis in pregnancy, leading to a risk of false negative results on screening tests. The course of primary aldosteronism during pregnancy is highly variable, although overall it is associated with a very high risk of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. The optimal management of primary aldosteronism during pregnancy is unclear, with uncertainty regarding the safety of mineralocorticoid antagonists and amiloride, their relative efficacy compared with the antihypertensive medications commonly used during pregnancy, and as to whether prognosis is improved by laparoscopic adrenalectomy where an adrenal adenoma can be demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Morton
- Mater Health Services, Raymond Tce, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia.
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Abstract
Adrenal diseases, including Cushing syndrome (CS), primary aldosteronism (PA), pheochromocytoma, and adrenocortical carcinoma, are uncommon in pregnancy; a high degree of clinical suspicion must exist. Physiologic changes to the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in a normal pregnancy result in increased cortisol, renin, and aldosterone levels, making the diagnosis of CS and PA in pregnancy challenging. However, catecholamines are not altered in pregnancy and allow a laboratory diagnosis of pheochromocytoma that is similar to that of the nonpregnant state. Although adrenal tumors in pregnancy result in significant maternal and fetal morbidity, and sometimes mortality, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment often improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deirdre Cocks Eschler
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, HSC T15-060, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Nina Kogekar
- Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Rachel Pessah-Pollack
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Endocrinology, ProHealth Care Associates, Ohio Drive, Lake Success, NY 11042, USA
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Abstract
: Adrenal diseases--including disorders such as Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, pheochromocytoma, primary hyperaldosteronism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia--are relatively rare in pregnancy, but a timely diagnosis and proper treatment are critical because these disorders can cause maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Making the diagnosis of adrenal disorders in pregnancy is challenging as symptoms associated with pregnancy are also seen in adrenal diseases. In addition, pregnancy is marked by several endocrine changes, including activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of this article was to review the pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, diagnosis and management of various adrenal disorders during pregnancy.
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LU W, ZHENG F, LI H, RUAN L. Primary aldosteronism and pregnancy: A case report. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2009; 49:558. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1479-828x.2009.01051.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Lindsay
- Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Matsumoto J, Miyake H, Isozaki T, Koshino T, Araki T. Primary aldosteronism in pregnancy. J NIPPON MED SCH 2000; 67:275-9. [PMID: 10938597 DOI: 10.1272/jnms.67.275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Aldosteronism is a rare complication of pregnancy. We report a case of a 26-year-old woman who became pregnant soon after a diagnosis of primary aldosteronism due to left adrenal adenoma was made. Only oral potassium supplementation was required in addition to routine prenatal care until 36 weeks' gestation. Subsequently, antihypertensive medication was needed to control elevated blood pressure. A healthy male infant was delivered by cesarean section because of abruptio placentae. The postoperative course was uneventful. Left adrenalectomy was conducted eight months after delivery under laparoscopic visualization. In this case report, we discuss management of aldosteronism in pregnancy and review the literature.
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