"Connshing Syndrome" : New Cause of High Blood Pressure

Conn syndrome is associated with co-secretion of stress hormone cortisol in addition to aldosterone, that contributes to the associated metabolic risk.

A new cause of high blood pressure has been identified. Research led by scientists at the University of Birmingham suggests that this could lead to major changes in managing the disease.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects around 1 in 4 adults. There is no identifiable cause for the condition and it often goes unnoticed. If left untreated, it can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Can Garlic Control High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
Want to know how to lower high blood pressure/hypertension? Garlic is a miracle herb that helps to lower blood pressure and keep it under control.

‘Treating the Connshing patients with an additional drug that counteracts the excess cortisol levels will help improve their health outcomes.’

In around 10% of the patients suffering from hypertension, primary aldosteronism or Conn syndrome, in which there is the overproduction of adrenal hormone aldosterone, is the cause of disease. The risk of cardiovascular diseases in such patients is higher than those without this syndrome.

New Findings

New findings suggest that in many patients with Conn syndrome, there is an overproduction of stress hormone cortisol, in addition to production of aldosterone.

Test Your Knowledge on Intracranial Hypertension
Idiopathic or benign intracranial hypertension, earlier known as pseudotumor cerebri, occurs due to increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure within the skull. It should be promptly recognized and treated to prevent vision loss.

Professor Wiebke Arlt, Director of the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR) at the University of Birmingham, said "Our findings show that the adrenal glands of many patients with Conn syndrome also produce too much cortisol, which finally explains puzzling results of previous studies in Conn patients."

"These previous studies had found increased rates of type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and depression in Conn patients -- problems typically caused by overproduction of cortisol, also termed Cushing syndrome, and not by too much aldosterone." Arlt added.

Top 10 Facts on Stroke
Strokes occur when the blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off. It is imperative to detect the signs of a stroke and rush the patient to the hospital at once. Here are some interesting facts on stroke.

This new cause of hypertension caused by the combined overproduction of aldosterone and cortisol is named as Connshing syndrome.

Current treatment of Conn syndrom only targets the adverse effects of aldosterone. This leaves the cortisol excess untreated.

Take the Clinic to the People to Ward Off Hypertension
A few one-on-one coaching sessions delivered by health professionals can eliminate racial disparities in the outcomes of programs to control blood pressure.

Katharina Lang, second author of the study and an academic clinical lecturer at IMSR sais, "These findings are very likely to change clinical practice. Patients will now need to undergo more detailed assessment to clarify whether they suffer from Conn or Connshing syndrome."

"Previously, patients with Conn syndrome were never assessed for the overproduction of other hormones but this will now change thanks to the results of this study. Also, researchers now will need to investigate whether treating the Connshing patients with an additional drug, which counteracts the cortisol excess, will improve their health outcomes." Lang added.

The study is published in JCI Insight.

Reference

Wiebke Arlt et al. Steroid metabolome analysis reveals prevalent glucocorticoid excess in primary aldosteronism. JCI Insight; (2017) doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.93136

Source-Medindia