Endocrine Abstracts

Primary aldosteronism has recently been found as a common cause for essential or secondary hypertension. As much as 1/10 may be explained by this disease. Diagnosis is crucial, since a adrenalectomy may cure the patient.The underlying cause in the majority of sporadic cases have been unknown until recently, while classically three forms of familial hyperadlosteronism (FH) exist: familial hypertension type I, II and III.FHI, which o...

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. The two main causes of PA are aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (BAH). Efficient and timely screening for PA is of major importance, given the severe cardiovascular outcome of aldosterone excess that is independent of blood pressure levels. Yet, the pathogenic mechanisms leading to aldosterone hypersecretion and cell proliferation are largely unknown.<p class="...

Potassium channels regulate the membrane voltage of aldosterone-producing glomerulosa cells in the adrenal glands. They are required for the unique K+ sensitivity of these cells and are targets of angiotensin II signaling. Several K+ channels show high levels of expression in the adrenal cortex and are believed to be important for the control of hormone secretion, e.g. KCNJ5, TASK1, TASK3, KCNMA1, and KCNQ1.In a pioneering study, Li...