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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Although your adrenal glands are each only about half the size of your thumb, these tiny titans dictate much of what happens in your body. Perched atop each of your kidneys, they produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure and other essential functions.
One of these hormones is aldosterone, which regulates the balance of sodium and potassium in your blood. In primary aldosteronism, your adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, causing you to reabsorb sodium and excrete potassium.
Common conditions causing the overproduction of aldosterone include:
- A benign growth (aldosteronoma) in an adrenal gland — a condition also known as Conn's syndrome
- Overactivity of both adrenal glands (bilateral adrenal hyperplasia)
In rare cases, primary aldosteronism may be caused by:
- Cancerous (malignant) growths in the outer layer (cortex) of the adrenal gland
- Genetic mutations
- A rare type of primary aldosteronism called glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism (GRA) that runs in families and causes high blood pressure in children and young adults
- Funder JW, et al. Case detection, diagnosis and treatment of patients with primary aldosteronism: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2008;(93):3266-3281.
- Gomez-Sanchez CE, et al. Three perspectives on aldosterone's role in cardiovascular disease: Salt's not the only bad guy. The Endocrine Society. http://www.endo-society.org/endo_news/tri_point/upload/Tri-Point-Series-June-2005-EN.pdf. Accessed Sept. 25, 2008.
- Young WF, et al. Clinical features of primary aldosteronism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 25, 2008.
- Hyperaldosteronism. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec12/ch153/ch153f.html. Accessed Sept. 25, 2008.
- Sechi LA. Long-term renal outcomes in patients with primary aldosteronism. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;295(22):2638-2645.
- Young WF, et al. Treatment of primary aldosteronism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 25, 2008.
- Aldosterone and renin. Lab Tests Online. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/aldosterone/test.html. Accessed Sept. 28, 2008.
- Young WF, et al. Clinical features of primary aldosteronism. http://www.uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=adrenal/19130&selectedTitle=3~56&source=search_result. Accessed Nov. 28, 2008.
- Young WF, et al. Treatment of primary aldosteronism. http://www.uptodate.com/online/content/topic.do?topicKey=adrenal/19430&selectedTitle=2~56&source=search_result. Accessed Nov. 28, 2008.
