Aldosterone overload: An underappreciated contributor to high blood pressure
Recent guidelines recommend broader screening for elevated levels of aldosterone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
- Reviewed by Anna Krawisz, MD, Contributor
Primary aldosteronism was once considered a rare cause of high blood pressure. But experts now believe the condition is underrecognized and undertreated. “Up to 25% of people with resistant hypertension are thought to have primary aldosteronism,” says Dr. Anna Krawisz, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (Resistant hypertension refers to blood pressure that remains stubbornly elevated even when people take three or more blood pressure drugs, including a diuretic.) Between 5% and 10% of all people with high blood pressure may have primary aldosteronism, she adds.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Anna Krawisz, MD, Contributor
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