Frequency of Primary Hyperaldosteronism in Young Hypertensives in a Tertiary Care Setting of Rawalpindi.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of primary hyperaldosteronism in young hypertensives in hospital settings of Rawalpindi. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, from June 2016 to May 2017. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred and fifty patients with hypertension (blood pressure of more than 140/90 mm Hg) of both genders, with age between 17-40 years were recruited in the study. Patients on anti-hypertensive medications, renal function derangement, pregnant females and those labelled with secondary hypertension were excluded. Blood samples were taken for the analyses of plasma renin, aldosterone, electrolytes, and blood gases. Parametric quantitative variables were presented as mean + SD. RESULTS: Eight cases, out of a total 80 subjects fulfilling the inclusion criteria, were diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism and 72 with essential hypertension. Mean age of patients having primary hyperaldosteronism was 29.25 +7.1 years. The mean diastolic blood pressure of all patients was 90.3 +6.5 mm of Hg, while mean systolic blood pressure was 142.7 +10.5 mm of Hg. CONCLUSION: Frequency of primary hyperaldosteronism was found to be 10%, emphasising on the fact that it is not very uncommon in young hypertensives.