Primary aldosteronism: Practical recommendations for treatment and follow-up / Hiperaldosteronismo primario: recomendaciones prácticas de tratamiento y seguimiento

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary arterial hypertension. For unilateral cases, surgery offers the possibility of cure, with unilateral adrenalectomy being the treatment of choice, whereas bilateral forms of PA are treated mainly with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA). The goals of treatment for PA due to either unilateral or bilateral adrenal disease include reversal of the adverse cardiovascular effects of hyperaldosteronism, normalization of serum potassium in patients with hypokalemia, and normalization of blood pressure. The Primary Aldosteronism Surgery Outcome group (PASO) published a study defining clinical and biochemical outcomes based on blood pressure and correction of hypokalemia and aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) levels for patients undergoing total unilateral adrenalectomy for unilateral PA. In this review, we provide several practical recommendations for the medical and surgical management and follow-up of patients with PA. (AU)

El hiperaldosteronismo primario (HAP) es la causa más frecuente de hipertensión arterial secundaria. Para los casos unilaterales, la cirugía ofrece la posibilidad de curación, siendo la adrenalectomía unilateral el tratamiento de elección, mientras que las formas bilaterales de HAP se tratan principalmente con antagonistas del receptor de mineralocorticoides (ARM). Los objetivos del tratamiento del HAP debido a enfermedad suprarrenal unilateral o bilateral incluyen la reversión de los efectos cardiovasculares adversos del hiperaldosteronismo, la normalización del potasio sérico en pacientes con hipopotasemia y la normalización de la presión arterial. El grupo Primary Aldosteronism Surgery Outcome (PASO) publicó un estudio que define los resultados clínicos y bioquímicos en función de la presión arterial y la corrección de la hipopotasemia y los niveles del cociente aldosterona/renina (ARR) para pacientes sometidos a adrenalectomía unilateral total por HAP unilateral. En esta revisión ofrecemos varias recomendaciones prácticas para el manejo y el seguimiento médico-quirúrgico de los pacientes con HAP. (AU)

Primary aldosteronism: Practical recommendations for treatment and follow-up.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary arterial hypertension. For unilateral cases, surgery offers the possibility of cure, with unilateral adrenalectomy being the treatment of choice, whereas bilateral forms of PA are treated mainly with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA). The goals of treatment for PA due to either unilateral or bilateral adrenal disease include reversal of the adverse cardiovascular effects of hyperaldosteronism, normalization of serum potassium in patients with hypokalemia, and normalization of blood pressure. The Primary Aldosteronism Surgery Outcome group (PASO) published a study defining clinical and biochemical outcomes based on blood pressure and correction of hypokalemia and aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) levels for patients undergoing total unilateral adrenalectomy for unilateral PA. In this review, we provide several practical recommendations for the medical and surgical management and follow-up of patients with PA.

[Diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism]. / Diagnóstico del hiperaldosteronismo primario.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary arterial hypertension. Moreover, it is associated with a higher cardio-metabolic risk than the observed in patients with essential arterial hypertension (EHT). Therefore, a high index of clinical suspicion for PA is mandatory. If an elevated aldosterone/renin ratio is confirmed, confirmatory tests should be performed, with the exception in those patients with florid PA, with, with spontaneous hypokalaemia, plasma aldosterone > 20 ng/dL and suppressed renin, in whom this step would not be strictly necessary. Intravenous saline infusion test or captopril test are the commonly used confirmatory tests. The last step in the diagnosis of PA is the localization study, being the computerized axial tomography (CT) of the adrenal glands the initial test of choice, and adrenal venous sampling (AVS), the definitive localization test in most cases. This review summarizes the available data about the diagnosis of PA, from screening to confirmatory study and localization.

Diabetes mellitus e insuficiencia cardíaca: nuevas perspectivas en el tratamiento farmacológico / Diabetes and heart failure: new perspectives in pharmacological treatment

La Diabetes Mellitus (DM) y la Insuficiencia Cardíaca (IC) son enfermedades crónicas cuyas prevalencias han ido en aumento y que determinan una mayor mortalidad de los pacientes que las padecen. La relación de ambas enfermedades es conocida como "Miocardiopatía Diabética" (MD). Los eventos fisiopatológicos principales de la MD son el mal control glicémico, el aumento de captación de ácidos grasos por parte de las células cardiacas, la disfunción endotelial y la remodelación cardíaca. Los nuevos tratamientos, se han enfocado en tratar tanto el control glicémico como la remodelación cardíaca. Los principales exponentes de los fármacos antidiabéticos favorables para la IC en pacientes con DM son los inhibidores del cotransportador de Sodio-Glucosa renal SGLT2 (iSGLT2), y los agonistas del receptor de GLP-1 (aGLP-1). Otros fármacos de relevancia son los antagonistas del receptor de mineralocorticoides (aRMC). Se realiza una revisión de la fisiopatología y del manejo actualizado de la IC en pacientes con DM.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Heart Failure (HF) are chronic diseases whose prevalences have risen and which increase patient mortality. The two diseases are inter-related in what is called "Diabetic Cardiomyopathy" (DC). The main pathophysiological characteristics of cardiomyopathy are poor glycemic control, a rise in the capture of fatty acids by cardiac cells, endothelial dysfunction and cardiac remodeling. The principal anti-diabetic medications beneficial for HF in DM patients are renal sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). Other relevant medications are mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA). We review the pathophysiology and current management of HF in diabetic patients.

[Benefits of spironolactone as the optimal treatment for drug resistant hypertension. Pathway-2 trial review]. / Utilidad de la espironolactona en el manejo farmacológico de la hipertensión arterial resistente. Comentarios sobre el estudio Pathway-2.

Pathway-2 is the first randomised, double-blind and crossover trial that compares spironolactone as a fourth drug with alfa-blocker, beta-blocker and placebo. This study shows that spironolactone is the drug with more possibilities of success for the management of patients with difficult-to-treat hypertension in patients with a combination of three drugs and poor control. The results validate the widespread treatment with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in resistant hypertension.

Uso de antagonistas de aldosterona para detener la progresión de la enfermedad renal: de las bases fisiológicas a la aplicación clínica / Clinical use of aldosterone antagonists for slowing progression of chronic kidney disease: From the physiological basis to clinical application

La aldosterona, sintetizada en la zona glomerulosa de la corteza suprarrenal, es la principal hormona reguladora del metabolismo de sodio y potasio y del volumen extracelular. A través del receptor de mineralocorticoides, actúa como la señal endocrina final del sistema renina-angiotensina-aldosterona sobre el epitelio del túbulo renal y del colon distal, que estimula la reabsorción de sodio y la secreción de potasio. El agua se reabsorbe, vía ósmosis, favoreciendo la expansión del volumen circulante y, por ende, incrementando la presión arterial. Recientemente, se ha centrado el interés en las acciones no clásicas de la aldosterona sobre el endotelio vascular, corazón y riñón. Existe evidencia de que la aldosterona está involucrada en la remodelación vascular, la función endotelial y la formación de colágena, y que contribuye a la progresión de la insuficiencia cardiaca, así como del daño renal. Se revisa la evidencia clínica y experimental que fundamenta el uso de bloqueadores de aldosterona para detener la progresión del daño renal en diferentes modelos.

Aldosterone is synthesized in the adrenal cortex and is the main regulator of sodium and potassium metabolism and the extracellular volume. Acting through the mineralocorticoid receptor, it is the final endocrine signal of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with effects on the renal tubular epithelium and distal colon stimulating sodium reabsorption and potassium secretion. Water is absorbed by osmosis favoring expansion of circulating volume and increasing arterial blood pressure. Recently there has been great interest in the non-classical actions of aldosterone on the vascular endothelium, heart and kidney. There is evidence suggesting that aldosterone participates in vascular remodeling, endothelial function and collagen deposition, contributing to heart failure progression and kidney damage. Clinical and experimental evidence supporting the use of aldosterone blocking agents in different models of kidney damage is reviewed.