Primary aldosterone may be main cause of high blood pressure

Primary aldosterone is a condition where the adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone aldosterone. It may be one of the main causes of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a disease that sometimes creep on you silently and without any warning. It comes with very subtle signs and symptoms. This is why you may live with it for a long time before you know you are suffering from this condition. This is dangerous because hypertension may lead to other chronic conditions. In fact, it affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide and is the leading preventable cause of heart disease and stroke. There are many reasons as to why you get high blood pressure. Now, in a new study, researchers have discovered that excess aldosterone production is a common and unrecognised cause of high blood pressure. Also Read - Did you know there is no 'perfect' blood pressure reading? (+ other facts about hypertension)

Primary aldosteronism is a condition where the adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone aldosterone, which causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. This is a cross-sectional study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Also Read - World Hypertension Day 2020: Why yoga is a must for managing prehypertension

Treating primary aldosteronism may lower risk of cardiovascular disease

According to researchers, “Primary aldosteronism has traditionally been considered to be an uncommon cause of high blood pressure, however, the findings of this study show that it is much more common than previously recognized.” To reach this conclusion, researchers from four academic medical centres (including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Alabama, University of Virginia, and the University of Utah in the US) studied patients with normotension (blood pressure that is within the normal range), stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension and resistant hypertension to determine the prevalence of excess aldosterone production and primary aldosteronism. Also Read - How to control high blood pressure at home during lockdown?

They found that there was a continuum of excess aldosterone production that paralleled the severity of blood pressure. It is not possible to recognize most of this excess aldosterone production via current diagnostic approaches. According to them, there are generic medications that block the deleterious effects of aldosterone. By using these drugs more frequently to treat hypertension, doctors may be able to significantly bring down the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Symptoms of primary aldosteronism

This is a hormonal disorder that occurs when your adrenal glands produce too much of a hormone called aldosterone. This hormone balances sodium and potassium in your blood. But too much of this hormone can cause you to lose potassium and retain sodium. This imbalance causes water retention and this, in turn, pushes up your blood volume and blood pressure. If you have this disorder, you may not exhibit any symptoms. Often, high blood pressure is the only indication of this disorder. But since this condition causes low potassium levels, you may also suffer from muscle cramps, weakness, headaches and fatigue. Excessive thirst and frequent urination are other symptoms.

Treatment options

If you experience any of the symptoms, seek medical help. It may spike your blood pressure levels and lead to stroke. So the sooner you get this under control, the better it is for you. This condition, also called Conn’s syndrome, can be treated with a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. This is a relatively rare condition and it may sometimes also need surgery if the cause is a tumour or growth in the adrenal glands.