1,720,985 research outputs found
Primary aldosteronism in elderly, old, and very old patients
Primary aldosteronism (PA) is common, but usually overlooked in the elderly, old, and very old patients in whom the already high absolute risk of cardiovascular events, particularly atrial fibrillation, can be further increased by PA. Although in the last two decades there has been an explosion of studies devoted to diagnosis, subtyping, and treatment of PA, only relatively scant investigation has addressed these topics in patients older than 65 years of age. This narrative review fills a gap of information on the challenges of diagnosing and managing the PA patients who are 65 years old and older with particular attention to the benefit/risk ratio of pursuing the diagnosis in this cohort, which is markedly expanding owing to ageing of the population worldwide
Urinary sodium potassium ratio is associated with clinical success after adrenalectomy in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism
The cardiovascular consequences of hyperaldosteronism
Primary aldosteronism (PA), the most common form of secondary hypertension, has been considered for decades as a “benign” form of hypertension, but evidences progressively built up to show that patients with PA had an excess rate of cardiovascular damage as compared to blood pressure-matched essential hypertensive patients. This review provides an updated view of structural and electrical cardiac remodeling and of vascular changes in hyperaldosteronism, and how they can favor development of cardiovascular events. The link between hyperaldosteronism and resistant hypertension is also examined, and the impact of targeted treatment of hyperaldosteronism on cardiovascular changes is finally discussed
Disease monitoring of Primary Aldosteronism
Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a highly prevalent cause of arterial hypertension featuring excess cardiovascular events. A timely diagnosis and treatment of PA cures hyperaldosteronism and can provide resolution or improvement of arterial hypertension, even when the latter is resistant to drug treatment. Accordingly, strategies to screen early and widely the hypertensive patients for PA by means of simplified diagnostic algorithms are justified. Such strategies are particularly beneficial in subgroups of hypertensive patients, who are at the highest cardiovascular risk. Broadening of screening strategies means facing with an increased number of patients where monitoring the disease becomes necessary. Hence, after identification of the surgically and non surgically curable cases of PA and implementation of targeted treatment physicians are faced with the challenges of follow-up, which are scantly discussed in the literature. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide some recommendations on how to optimize the monitoring of patients in whom the PA subtype has been diagnosed and treatment, either with unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy or medically, has been instituted
A systematic review of pathophysiology and management of familial hyperaldosteronism type 1 in pregnancy
Purpose: Familial hyperaldosteronism type 1 (FH-1) is a rare autosomal dominant form of primary aldosteronism, which features a marked phenotypic heterogeneity, ranging from mild to severe forms of arterial hypertension that can be complicated by stroke and cardiovascular events at a young age. As affected patients usually reach the fertile age, transmission of the disease to offspring is common. Notwithstanding this, reports of FH-1 in pregnancy are limited and there is a lack of treatment guidelines. Methods and results: We searched the PubMed and EuropePMC databases with a PICO strategy to retrieve available information on management of FH-1 patients during pregnancy. We could identify seven relevant articles, which are herein reviewed. Conclusion: Based on available information on pathophysiology and treatment of FH-1 in pregnancy, recommendations for the rational management of FH-1 in pregnancy are provided
Familial hyperaldosteronism type 1 and pregnancy: successful treatment with low dose dexamethasone
Purpose: Familial hyperaldosteronism type 1 (FH-1) is an autosomal dominant form of primary aldosteronism (PA), featuring a marked phenotypic heterogeneity, ranging from mild forms of PA and arterial hypertension (HT) to severe forms complicated by stroke at a young age. Affected patients usually reach the fertile age; hence, transmission of the disease to offspring is common. Notwithstanding this, only anecdotal reports of FH-1 in pregnancy exist and recommendations for treatment remain vague. Materials and Methods and Results: We herein report on a novel FH-1 pedigree featuring very severe HT, fatal aortic dissection, and high rate of early stroke, where a young FH-1 woman was successfully managed throughout pregnancy with low-dose dexamethasone. Conclusions: Based on this experience and on available information on pathophysiology of FH-1 in pregnancy, the pros and cons of dexamethasone administration in the treatment of FH-1 in pregnancy are also discussed
Practice Recommendations for Diagnosis and Treatment of the Most Common Forms of Secondary Hypertension
The vast majority of hypertensive patients are never sought for a cause of their high blood pressure, i.e. for a ‘secondary’ form of arterial hypertension. This under detection explains why only a tiny percentage of hypertensive patients are ultimately diagnosed with a secondary form of arterial hypertension. The prevalence of these forms is, therefore, markedly underestimated, although, they can involve as many as one-third of the cases among referred patients and up to half of those with difficult to treat hypertension. The early detection of a secondary form is crucial, because if diagnosed in a timely manner, these forms can be cured at long-term, and even when cure cannot be achieved, their diagnosis provides a better control of high blood pressure, and allows prevention of hypertension-mediated organ damage, and related cardiovascular complications. Enormous progress has been made in the understanding, diagnostic work-up, and management of secondary hypertension in the last decades. The aim of this minireview is, therefore, to provide updated concise information on the screening, diagnosis, and management of the most common forms, including primary aldosteronism, renovascular hypertension, pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, Cushing’s syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea
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