Conn syndrome
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| Conn's syndrome Classification and external resources | |
| Aldosterone | |
| ICD-10 | E26.0 |
| ICD-9 | 255.1 |
| DiseasesDB | 3073 |
| MedlinePlus | 000330 |
| eMedicine | med/432 |
| MeSH | D006929 |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-525-6884
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Conn's syndrome is characterized by the overproduction of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone causes sodium and water retention and potassium excretion in the kidneys, leading to arterial hypertension (high blood pressure). It is a rare but recognised cause of hypertension.
Signs, symptoms and findings
Conn's syndrome is also known as primary hyperaldosteronism. Apart from high blood pressure, the symptoms may include muscle cramps and headaches (due to the low potassium), metabolic alkalosis (due to increased secretion of H+ ions by the kidney). The high pH of the blood makes calcium less available to the tissues and causes symptoms of hypocalcemia (low calcium levels).
It can be mimicked by liquorice ingestion (glycyrrhizin) and Liddle syndrome.
Diagnosis
Measuring aldosterone alone is not considered adequate to diagnose Conn's syndrome. Rather, both renin and aldosterone are measured, and the ratio is diagnostic.[1][1]
Usually, renin levels are suppressed, leading to a very low renin-aldosterone ratio (<0.0005). This test is confounded by antihypertensive drugs, which have to be stopped up to 6 weeks.
If there is biochemic proof of hyperaldosteronism, CT scanning can confirm the presence of an adrenal adenoma.
Causes
The syndrome is due to:
- aldosterone-secreting adrenal adenoma (benign tumor, 50-60%)
- hyperplasia of the adrenal gland (40-50%)
- rare forms
Therapy
Surgical removal of the offending adrenal (adrenalectomy) takes away the source of the excess hormones.[1] Meanwhile, the blood pressure can be controlled with spironolactone (a diuretic that counteracts the actions of aldosterone) and other antihypertensives.
Eponym
It is named after Dr Jerome W. Conn (1907-1994), the American endocrinologist who first described the condition in 1955. [1]
References
de:Conn-Syndrom fr:Syndrome de Conn nl:Syndroom van Connsv:Conns sjukdom
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .


