• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.60-63
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• 2020

Primary aldosteronism has been found more often among patients with hypertension. Primary aldosteronism can be caused by an aldosterone-producing adenoma, bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, or rarely by an adrenal carcinoma. An initial diagnostic test for aldosteronism is a measurement of the plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration. For example, up to 20% of patients with hypertension showed increased plasma aldosterone concentration/renin activity ratio. If surgery is planned, an adrenal vein sampling is necessary for exact localization. Spironolactone, an aldosterone antagonist, is the drug of choice for patients with an aldosterone-producing adenoma or hyperplasia. It can control elevated blood pressure in most primary aldosteronism patients. However, unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the best treatment for aldosterone-producing adenoma or asymmetrical aldosterone production in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Here we report a patient with primary aldosteronism caused by unilateral adrenal hyperplasia and a contralateral adrenal adenoma who required as many as five different kinds of antihypertensive medications for controlling elevated blood pressure. The adrenal adenoma was successfully removed by unilateral adrenalectomy and the blood pressure had been controlled well after the surgery.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2008

1. Objective Primary aldosteronism is clinically characterized by hypertension and hypokalemia. The purpose of this article is to report our case about a female patient with suspected primary aldosteronism. 2. Methods We diagnosed her as Soyangin Heat Sensation in chest and treated with Yangkyuksanhwa-rang and Hyungbangjihwang-tang. And potassium replacement therapy was applied to correct hypokalemia. 3. Results and Conclusions In this case, through Herb-medication, most symptoms were improved except dry mouth, Bur hypokalemia was not corrected, and primary aldosteronism was suspected on the basis of the blood results and symptoms.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 2016

Primary aldosteronism is one of the most common cause of secondary hypertension and can be accompanied with hypokalemia. Rhabdomyolysis with hypokalemia in primary aldosteronism has been rarely reported. We describe a patient of primary aldosteronism who presented with limb-girdle type weakness.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.280-285
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• 1999

We report 1 patient with Primary aldosteronism caused by malfunction of adrenal gland. which occupies 1-2% of the whole Hypertensive disease. The patient was 35 year-old female with the history of hypertension. She was hospitalized at Department of Circulatory Internal Medicine. College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, because of low limb weakness, chest discomport, palpitation and dry mouth. The value of serum potassium level was o.6 and at last adenoma was diagnosed on the basis of abdomen CT scan. The Primary aldosteronism manifests myasthenia, headache, dry mouth, palpitation. In laboratory findings, it especially shows specific U -wave in EKG due to low serum potassium level resulted from excessive flow-out through urine. It could be regarded as ‘Flaccid paralysis of Limbs(?症)‘, the Oriental medical term which indicates a condition of general weakness. We report on this case with a review of literature.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2012

Primary aldosteronism is characterized by hypertension, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis, associated with excessive aldosterone production and suppressed plasma renin activity. Hypokalemia-induced rhabdomyolysis has been rarely reported in primary aldosteronism patients. This paper reports a case of primary aldosteronism presented with rhabdomyolysis due to severe hypokalemia. A 48-year-old male with a three-year history of hypertension presented himself at the authors' hospital with generalized weakness and myalgia in both legs over a period of several days. His laboratory findings showed hypokalemia (1.8 mEq/L) with elevations of his serum creatine phosphokinase and serum myoglobin. His plasma aldosterone level was also elevated, and his plasma renin activity was reduced. An abdominal computed tomography revealed a 2.0 cm hypodense mass in the left adrenal gland, which suggested adrenal adenoma. The accordingly underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Three months later, his plasma potassium level and blood pressure became normal without the use of medications.

• Endocrinology and Metabolism
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.429-434
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• 2018

As diagnostic techniques have advanced, primary aldosteronism (PA) has emerged as the most common cause of secondary hypertension. The excess of aldosterone caused by PA resulted in not only cardiovascular complications, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and heart failure, but also cerebrovascular complications, such as stroke and transient ischemic attack. Moreover, PA is associated more closely with these conditions than is essential hypertension. In this review, we present up-to-date findings on the association between PA and cerebrovascular diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.241-246
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• 2008

Purpose: To study of difference among primary aldosteronism patients and normal groups and essential hypertension patients and to confirm aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio increase in secondary hypertension group which was diagnosed as primary aldosteronism. Materials and method: 1. Period: from April 2006 to March 2008. 2.Targets: 901 patients who visited seoul national university bundang hospital. 3. Groups: we divided by three groups. (normal group (n=147), essential hypertension (n=709), primary aldosteronism (n=45)) 4. Then calculated aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio. 5. We used ROC curve to measure sensitivity and specificity. Results: 1. normal groups aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio: $52.8{\pm}52.46$ essential hypertension patients aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio: $171.04{\pm}291.56$ primary aldosteronism patients aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio: $2325{\pm}2200$. 2. Aldosterone/renin ratio was significant in comparing each groups (p<0.001). 3. The sensitivity was 91.1% and the specificity was 92.4% when cut off of aldosterone/renin ratio was 485. Conclusion: It was confirmed that aldosterone/plasma renin activity ratio in primary aldosteronism was higher than normal group. According to this result, we can tell that aldosterone/ plasma renin activity ratio is very useful in diagnosis of primary aldosteronism.

• Endocrinology and Metabolism
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.485-492
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• 2018

Background: Increasing evidence supports interplay between aldosterone and parathyroid hormone (PTH), which may aggravate cardiovascular complications in various heart diseases. Negative structural cardiovascular remodeling by primary aldosteronism (PA) is also suspected to be associated with changes in calcium levels. However, to date, few clinical studies have examined how changes in calcium and PTH levels influence cardiovascular outcomes in PA patients. Therefore, we investigated the impact of altered calcium homeostasis caused by excessive aldosterone on cardiovascular parameters in patients with PA. Methods: Forty-two patients (mean age $48.8{\pm}10.9$ years; 1:1, male:female) whose plasma aldosterone concentration/plasma renin activity ratio was more than 30 were selected among those who had visited Severance Hospital from 2010 to 2014. All patients underwent adrenal venous sampling with complete access to both adrenal veins. Results: The prevalence of unilateral adrenal adenoma (54.8%) was similar to that of bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Mean serum corrected calcium level was $8.9{\pm}0.3mg/dL$ (range, 8.3 to 9.9). The corrected calcium level had a negative linear correlation with left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD, ${\rho}=-0.424$, P=0.031). Moreover, multivariable regression analysis showed that the corrected calcium level was marginally associated with the LVEDD and corrected QT (QTc) interval (${\beta}=-0.366$, P=0.068 and ${\beta}=-0.252$, P=0.070, respectively). Conclusion: Aldosterone-mediated hypercalciuria and subsequent hypocalcemia may be partly involved in the development of cardiac remodeling as well as a prolonged QTc interval, in subjects with PA, thereby triggering deleterious effects on target organs additively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.456-462
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• 2024

Primary aldosteronism is a group of disorders in which the autonomous secretion of aldosterone is associated with hypertension and hypokalemia. It is crucial to determine the laterality of aldosterone hypersecretion because treatment options differ accordingly. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is considered the most reliable method for assessing the laterality of primary aldosteronism. This procedure is often technically challenging because of the small size and varied locations of the adrenal veins. A better understanding of anatomical variations and careful review of imaging studies would improve sampling success. This report presents three cases of anatomical variations encountered during AVS.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.2
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• pp.386-397
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• 2023

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a curable cause of hypertension. Recent studies have revealed that the actual prevalence of PA is higher than previously recognized. Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is an essential diagnostic procedure for revealing the cause of PA and determining the treatment plan. The success of AVS is confirmed by comparing cortisol levels between the samples from each adrenal vein and peripheral vein. The failure rate of the procedure is reported to be high in the right adrenal vein, which is directly connected to the inferior vena cava, while that in the left adrenal vein is relatively low; however, this has rarely been reported. In this review, we introduce and analyze cases of failure in left adrenal vein sampling.