Adrenal vein development in utero occurs concurrently with the development of the inferior vena cava, the renal veins, and the gonadal veins. The embryologic formation of these veins involves communication of various venous systems. Although the left adrenal-renal vein complex is most commonly described as a shared emptying of the left adrenal vein and the left inferior phrenic vein into the le...

Primary hyperaldosteronism (PH), resulting in hypokalaemic hypertension, may be due to an aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) or bilateral zona glomerulosa hyperplasia. Six patients with suspected PH were identified at the University Hospital of the West Indies and standardized screening was carried out. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and serum aldosterone concentrations (SAC) were measured, follo...

Primary hyperaldosteronism (PH) is frequently considered to be a secondary form of diabetes mellitus (DM). In our previous study we attempted to evaluate the prevalence of DM among patients with PH compared to control subjects with essential hypertension (EH). We have noted a relatively high prevalence of DM and impaired glucose tolerance in PH, but the differences between the PH and EH groups ...

Endocrine Hypertension: Diagnostic Approaches. Endocrine diseases are the most common secondary forms of hypertension. Because of its high prevalence (5–13 % in hypertension), primary hyperaldosteronism is most important in this context. Diagnosis of this entity is recommended in hypokalemic hypertension, in therapy-resistant hypertension (≥ 3 drugs and RR > 140/90 mmHg), in strong hypertension...