The forgotten cause of hypertension: A case report and literature review of the prevalence, diagnosis and management of primary aldosteronism

Abstract

In recent years, primary aldosteronism (PA) has been found to have a much higher prevalence than previously thought, especially among those with resistant hypertension. As hypertension has become a prominent public health issue affecting billions of people, the number of patients potentially affected by PA is a significant. Current medical and surgical therapies for PA are highly effective, and as untreated PA can lead to significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality this stresses the importance of astute diagnosis and management on part of physicians. We present a case of a patient presenting with cardiovascular complications of untreated primary aldosteronism and review recent guidelines regarding screening, diagnosis, and management.