The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
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J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. · Aug 1981
Case ReportsOverproduction of sodium-retaining steroids by the zona glomerulosa is adrenocorticotropin-dependent and mediates hypertension in dexamethasone-suppressible aldosteronism.
Dexamethasone suppressed urinary aldosterone to less than 1.5 micrograms/day in 1-2 days and lowered blood pressure in a woman and in her 2 1/2-yr-old daughter, both of whom have hypertension and hyporeninemia and are members of a kindred with dexamethasone-suppressible aldosteronism. ACTH given for 7 days produced a sustained increase in aldosterone production and a rise in blood pressure in both patients. The abnormal suppression with dexamethasone and further stimulation with ACTH indicate that the aldosteronism is ACTH-dependent in this disorder. ⋯ Blood pressure was normal during treatment with spironolactone and during pregnancy, when the action of aldosterone and other similar steroids was presumably blocked by an increased production of progesterone; this suggests that the hypertension is dependent upon sodium-retaining steroids such as aldosterone. Aminoglutethimide given during treatment with ACTH decreased urinary aldosterone and blood pressure and increased PRA, with minimal effects on plasma cortisol or urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids. These results provide additional evidence that aldosterone, acting alone or in conjunction with other steroids synthesized by the zona glomerulosa, mediates the hypertension and hyporeninemia of dexamethasone-suppressible aldosteronism.