Hyperaldosteronism

Hi @bjfons, Welcome to Connect. I've had high blood pressure since my mid 40s. I participated in a Mayo Clinic Heart Study in Rochester, MN in the 1980's and as a result they discovered the cause of my high BP was Primary Aldosteronism (Conn's Syndrome). They then switched my BP meds to hydrachlorathyazide and spironolactone and it's done well controlling my blood pressure. I don't think my BP was ever above 200 but it's been so long ago I don't remember.

If your son's doctors are not really sure of the diagnosis and you want a second opinion, Mayo Clinic would be an excellent choice. If you would like get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic, you can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Can his doctors give your son a referral to Mayo Clinic?

Hi John,

Thanks for your response and I'll pass this on to my son. Do you have any names of doctors that you would recommend at Mayo in Rochester?

Bradlee

Hi Bradley, The last vascular doctor that treated me at Rochester Mayo was Dr. Robert McBane but that was for diagnosing my lymphedema. My daughter has Long QT Syndrome and her doctor who she thinks very highly of is Dr. Michael J. Ackerman. You can find a list of all the Mayo cardiologists and their specialties on the website here – https://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments/find-a-doctor/search-results?searchterm=cardiologist&locations=Rochester%2C%20MN

Hi @bjfons, I added your discussion to the Endocrine System group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/diabetes-and-endocrine-problems/) as well.

@dawn_giacabazi has written a fair amount about her experience with Hyperaldosteronism and is a patient at Mayo Clinic. Due to family issues, she's not active on the site at the moment, but you can click on Dawn's username to read some of her past posts.

I hope your son contacts Mayo Clinic.

Has anyone been diagnosed with Hyperaldosteronism and how are you being treated for it? My bp can get hard to control and I was just diagnosed with Hyperaldosteronism and I have a fatty tumor in my left adrenal gland, but the doctor said that even though there is a small tumor, it may not be that adrenal gland that is releasing too much aldosterone

@bcoressel I want to welcome you to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you joined in January and posted about blood pressure. You just posted about hyperaldosteronism (that is a mouthful!) and something I’m not familiar with. Is it too much aldosterone (a hormone) produced in the endocrine (ductless gland) system? I am curious. Would you mind telling me more?

It is too much aldosterone (sodium) that the adrenal gland produces. The kidneys are supposed to tell the adrenal gland when to release extra aldosterone. In my case, the adrenal glands release extra on their own

@bcoressel, I moved your question about hyperaldosteronism to this existing discussion of the same name:
– Hyperaldosteronism: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hyperaldosteronism-second-opinion/

I did this so that you can also connect with @bjfons @dawn_giacabazi as well as @cehunt57.

What treatment is being suggested for you? I suspect the first goal will be to get the blood pressure under control. Are you taking any medication for that?

Good evening all!! Let me read some of the posts to catch up with you all and see how I can help. I am getting ready to have surgery to remove my right adrenal gland an tumor which has been the cause of my primary hyperaldosteronism. Surgery is scheduled for 5/3.
Talk to you soon.
Dawn

How did they find out for sure which adrenal gland was causing the hyperaldosteronism?