Primary Aldosteronism: Where Are We Now? Where to from Here?

Abstract

The past nine years have seen major advances in establishing the etiology of unilateral primary aldosteronism, and very possibly that of bilateral hyperaldosteronism, in response to somatic mutations in aldosterone synthase expressing cells. Though there have been important advances in the management of primary aldosteronism, in small but convincing studies, they represent minor changes to current guidelines. What has been totally absent is consideration of the public health issue that primary aldosterone represents, and the public policy issues that would be involved in addressing the disorder. In his introduction to PiPA 6, Martin Reincke calculated that only one in a thousand patients in Germany with primary aldosteronism were treated appropriately, an astounding figure for any disease in the 21st century. Towards remedying this totally unacceptable public health issue, the author proposes a radical simplification and streamlining of screening for primary aldosteronism, and the management of most patients by general practitioners. The second bottle-neck in current management is that of mandatory adrenal venous sampling for all but 1-2% of patients, a costly procedure requiring rare expertise. Ideally, it should be reserved - on the basis of likelihood, enhanced imaging, or peripheral steroid profiles - for a small minority of patients with clear evidence for unilateral disease. Only when costs are minimized and roadblocks removed will primary aldosteronism be properly treated as the public health issue that it is.