Pre-operative evaluation of the prognosis of hypertension in primary aldosteronism owing to adenoma.

Abstract

The prognosis of hypertension was evaluated pre-operatively in 40 patients with primary aldosteronism owing to adenoma by examining the severity of hypertension, family history of hypertension, age of the patients, duration of hypertension, plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone concentration, and efficacy of spironolactone (100 mg per day for 10 days) on blood pressure. In 30 of the 40 patients, the blood pressure was reduced to below 160/95 mmHg within a year after adrenalectomy (responders). In the other 10 patients, the blood pressure was not markedly reduced and remained above 160/95 mmHg (nonresponders). There were no significant differences in the age of the patients, family history of hypertension, plasma renin activity or plasma aldosterone concentration between these two groups. The severity of hypertension as judged by the WHO classification and the duration of hypertension prior to operation seemed to be of some use in assessing the postoperative prognosis of hypertension, but the efficacy of spironolactone was far more useful. That is to say, a reduction in mean blood pressure of more than 15 mmHg after administration of spironolactone was observed in 29 of the 30 responders. The remaining one patient showed an 11 mmHg reduction in mean blood pressure. On the other hand, none of the nonresponders revealed a reduction in mean blood pressure of more than 15 mmHg after spironolactone administration. From these results it is concluded that the pre-operative response of blood pressure to administration of 100 mg per day of spironolactone for 10 days represents a useful indicator of the postoperative prognosis of hypertension in patients with primary aldosteronism owing to adenoma.