Is your blood pressure difficult to control? Maybe the cause is Primary Aldosteronism (Conn's Syndrome)!

Do you have high blood pressure, or hypertension? You may be taking two or three medications prescribed by your doctor. But is it still difficult to control your blood pressure? Do you also feel tired, weak, and often dehydrated? If so, the cause of your condition may be something other than normal blood pressure. Today we are going to talk about such a condition. It is Primary Aldosteronism, or Conn's Syndrome.

Simply put, what is Primary Aldosteronism?

This is something that needs a little explanation. In our body, there are two small glands above the kidneys. We call these the adrenal glands, or in English, the adrenal glands . These glands produce several types of hormones that are essential for our body.

Aldosterone is a steroid hormone produced by these glands. The main function of this hormone is to control the levels of sodium (salt) and potassium in our blood. Through this, this hormone also helps regulate our body's water balance and blood pressure.

So, Primary Aldosteronism is when your adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone aldosterone for some reason. When aldosterone levels increase, the amount of sodium (salt) in your body increases and the amount of potassium decreases. This results in uncontrollable high blood pressure and low blood potassium levels (hypokalemia).

What are the main symptoms of this disease?

Not everyone with this condition will experience the same symptoms. But these are the most common symptoms. Let's look at them in a table.

Why does the aldosterone hormone increase like this?

There may be several reasons for this.

• Benign tumors of the adrenal glands: This is the cause of this condition in most people. A small, non-cancerous tumor (adenoma) develops in one or both adrenal glands, which produces too much of the hormone aldosterone.
• Bilateral adrenal hyperplasia: Sometimes, without a tumor, cells in both adrenal glands can become overactive and produce too much hormone.
• Hereditary causes: This condition can be inherited in some families. An example is `(Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia)`.
• Adrenal cancer: This is a very rare cause.

Difference between Primary and Secondary Aldosteronism

There's another important thing you need to know. Primary Aldosteronism, which we talked about, is a problem that occurs in the adrenal gland itself, causing an increase in the hormone.

But sometimes, aldosterone levels can increase due to other medical conditions in the body. For example, this hormone can also increase in conditions such as heart failure, liver disease, or renal artery stenosis. We call this Secondary Aldosteronism . A doctor will accurately distinguish between these two conditions.

How to recognize this?

If you have the symptoms mentioned above, your doctor will first check your blood pressure. Then, if there is any doubt about this condition, he or she will refer you for some special blood tests.

• Blood hormone levels: This mainly measures the levels of the hormones aldosterone and renin. In primary aldosteronism, aldosterone levels are high and renin levels are low.
• Electrolyte Level Testing: This tests the sodium and potassium levels in your blood.

If blood tests confirm this condition, the next step is to examine the adrenal glands to find the cause. This is usually done with a CT scan (Computed Tomography) or MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) .

What are the treatments for this?

The treatment for this disease depends on the cause. There are two main treatment methods.

1. Treatment with medication

If both adrenal glands are overactive (hyperplasia), surgery is usually not performed. Instead, medications that block the action of the hormone aldosterone are given. The most commonly used medications are spironolactone and eplerenone . These medications can control blood pressure and restore potassium levels.

2. Treatment by surgery

If a CT or MRI scan confirms that there is a tumor (adenoma) in only one adrenal gland, the best treatment is to remove that gland surgically. This surgery is called an adrenalectomy . This is usually done as a keyhole surgery (laparoscopic surgery) so that recovery is faster.

After surgery, most people's blood pressure returns to normal or can be controlled with very little medication.

What happens if left untreated?

If this condition is left untreated, serious complications can occur due to long-term high blood pressure and electrolyte imbalance.

• Heart attack or heart failure
• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Irregular heartbeat (Arrhythmia)
• Temporary paralysis

Therefore, if you have symptoms, it is very important to see a doctor immediately and seek treatment.

Primary Aldosteronism, Conn's Syndrome, hypertension, aldosterone, hypertension, hormones, adrenal glands, high blood pressure, potassium