[Primary aldosteronism. Diagnostic aspects and treatment]

Abstract

Despite the relatively low frequency of primary aldosteronism, its diagnosis is of great importance because surgical treatment results, in the majority of cases, in the disappearance of arterial hypertension. We present in this paper six cases with this type of secondary hypertension. The disease was suspected by the coexistence of hypertension and hypokalemia. The decrease in serum potassium after an oral load of salt proved to be of great value for the diagnoses. In the five patients treated surgically, the removal of the tumor produced the normalization of the arterial pressure and corrected the biochemical alterations. In four of the patients the tumor was located in the left adrenal gland and in one in the right adrenal gland. The patient not treated surgically has remained normotensive with spironolactone. This data confirm what has been described in the medical literature and emphasizes the importance of a correct diagnosis and treatment in patients with this form of hypertension.