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Background: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is common and associates with excess cardiovascular morbidity independent of blood pressure. Exposure to aldosterone and sodium leads to cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy in humans and animals possibly mediated by inflammation and oxidative stress. We aimed to clarify the effects of aldosterone excess on myocardial structure and composition in human subjects with PA and essential hypertension using contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging as well as explore the mechanistic basis for any observed differences., Methods and Results: Twenty-seven subjects with recently diagnosed PA and 54 essential hypertension controls were recruited. Subjects underwent gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance; noninfarct related myocardial fibrosis was identified by a diffuse pattern of late gadolinium enhancement. Patients also underwent assessment of pulse wave velocity, measurement of circulating superoxide anion and C-reactive protein, as well as blood pressure and biochemical assessment. Subjects were well matched with no difference in severity or duration of hypertension. There was a significant increase in the frequency of noninfarct late gadolinium enhancement in PA (70%) when compared with essential hypertension subjects (13%; P<0.0001) with no difference in left ventricular mass. Pulse wave velocity, superoxide, and C-reactive protein were significantly higher in subjects with PA., Conclusions: These data illustrate that patients with PA exhibit frequent myocardial fibrosis as demonstrated by late gadolinium enhancement using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; this finding is independent of blood pressure. This may be mediated partly through inflammation and oxidative stress. This study highlights the importance of specific targeting of aldosterone excess as well as blood pressure reduction to minimize cardiac morbidity in PA.

Hypertension is a heritable and major contributor to the global burden of disease. The sum of rare and common genetic variants robustly identified so far explain only 1%-2% of the population variation in BP and hypertension. This suggests the existence of more undiscovered common variants. We conducted a genome-wide association study in 1,621 hypertensive cases and 1,699 controls and follow-up validation analyses in 19,845 cases and 16,541 controls using an extreme case-control design. We identified a locus on chromosome 16 in the 5' region of Uromodulin (UMOD; rs13333226, combined P value of 3.6 × 10⁻¹¹). The minor G allele is associated with a lower risk of hypertension (OR [95%CI]: 0.87 [0.84-0.91]), reduced urinary uromodulin excretion, better renal function; and each copy of the G allele is associated with a 7.7% reduction in risk of CVD events after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and smoking status (H.R. = 0.923, 95% CI 0.860-0.991; p = 0.027). In a subset of 13,446 individuals with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements, we show that rs13333226 is independently associated with hypertension (unadjusted for eGFR: 0.89 [0.83-0.96], p = 0.004; after eGFR adjustment: 0.89 [0.83-0.96], p = 0.003). In clinical functional studies, we also consistently show the minor G allele is associated with lower urinary uromodulin excretion. The exclusive expression of uromodulin in the thick portion of the ascending limb of Henle suggests a putative role of this variant in hypertension through an effect on sodium homeostasis. The newly discovered UMOD locus for hypertension has the potential to give new insights into the role of uromodulin in BP regulation and to identify novel drugable targets for reducing cardiovascular risk., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Arterial stiffness is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, particularly in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). One mechanism linking arterial stiffness with cardiovascular events may be the changes in pressure wave reflection on ventricular ejection and coronary perfusion during diastole. We illustrate this using MRI to describe aortic elastic properties and alterations of diastolic flow in comparison to derived central pressure characteristics., Methods: Ten patients with ESRD and ten control subjects were studied. Transverse images of the ascending aorta were obtained by cardiac MRI. Aortic distensibility was calculated using brachial pulse pressure. MRI flow maps were obtained from the ascending aorta and aortic pressure was calculated using SphygmoCor., Results: ESRD patients had reduced aortic distensibility compared to the controls (median 0.00464 mm Hg(-1) vs. 0.00152 mm Hg(-1), p = 0.0057). Furthermore, in diastole, normal subjects show net reversal of blood flow in the ascending aorta, with a mean of -19.6 versus +7.6 ml/min in the ESRD group; p = 0.045., Conclusions: Using non-invasive methods we have demonstrated a marked reduction in aortic distensibility along with disturbances in aortic flow, providing insight into the pathophysiology of ventricular-vascular interaction. The normal group showed reversal of diastolic blood flow, which may have a direct relationship with coronary perfusion parameters, which was absent in the ESRD group., (Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Classically, aldosterone is synthesised in the adrenal zona glomerulosa and binds to specific mineralocorticoid receptors located in the cytosol of target epithelial cells. Translocation of the resulting steroid receptor complex to the cell nucleus modulates gene expression and translation of specific 'aldosterone-induced' proteins that regulate electrolyte and fluid balance. However, non-epithelial and rapid non-genomic actions of aldosterone have also been described that account for a variety of actions of aldosterone that contribute to blood pressure homeostasis. These include key actions on endothelial cells and on cardiac tissue. There is also evidence that aldosterone can be synthesised in other tissues; the most convincing evidence relates to the central nervous system. However, suggestions that aldosterone is produced in the heart remain controversial, and adrenal derived aldosterone is the principal source of circulating and locally available hormone. Recent studies have shown major therapeutic benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism in cardiac failure, which emphasise the importance of aldosterone in causing adverse cardiovascular pathophysiological effects. Additional evidence demonstrates that aldosterone levels predict development of high blood pressure in normotensive subjects, while it is now clear that increased aldosterone action contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular damage in approximately 10% of patients with established hypertension. These new findings highlight the role of aldosterone as a key cardiovascular hormone and extend our understanding of its role in determining adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

The terminal stages in the synthesis of aldosterone and cortisol are catalysed by the enzymes aldosterone synthase and 11beta-hydroxylase respectively. We have previously reported that polymorphic variation in the 5' promoter region (-344C/T) of the gene encoding aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) is associated with increased aldosterone metabolite excretion and with hypertension associated with a raised aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR). Additionally, basal and ACTH-stimulated plasma levels of 11-deoxycortisol, the precursor of cortisol, are higher in subjects carrying the T-allelic variant. We have now identified in a family study (573 individuals from 105 extended families ascertained through a hypertensive proband) that excretion of the main metabolite of this steroid (tetrahydro-11-deoxycortisol, THS) is heritable (19.4%) and that the T-allele of CYP11B2 is more strongly associated with higher THS levels than the C-allele. Raised plasma and urinary levels of 11-deoxycortisol suggest that there is relative inefficiency of 11beta-hydroxylation in the zona fasciculata; the P450 enzyme responsible for this step is encoded by the gene CYP11B1, which is highly homologous with and adjacent to CYP11B2. The association of genetic variation in the promoter of CYP11B2 which, in the adrenal cortex, is only expressed in zona glomerulosa, and zona fasciculata 11beta-hydroxylation function is paradoxical. There may be linkage dys-equilibrium between this polymorphism and a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in CYP11B1. Chronic alteration of 11beta-hydroxylase activity may increase ACTH drive to the adrenal cortex, altering the regulation of aldosterone synthesis. This may explain, at least partly, the association between CYP11B2 polymorphisms and hypertension.