Clinical and Genetic Correlates of Serum Aldosterone in the Community: The Framingham Heart Study

Abstract

We observed a complex relation between serum aldosterone and vascular risk factors. The genetic contribution to serum aldosterone level was modest.

Increased aldosterone in patients with metabolic syndrome; an additional risk factor

“…Concordant with many studies [19,31,32], our study demonstrated a positive correlation between PA levels and s.triglycerides and a negative correlation between PA levels and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Some authers [19] demonstrated that patients with the highest aldosterone levels showed the lowest HDL levels.…”

“…Bochud et al, [31] showed a negative association between plasma aldosterone levels and HDL cholesterol levels in MSyn patients, regardless of all of the other MSyn components. However, a Framingham Heart Study subanalysis with higher subject numbers (2891subjects) did not show a direct correlation between aldosterone and low HDL cholesterol [32]. Therefore, a possible causative relation between aldosterone and lipid metabolism needs to be investigated further.…”

Altered corticosteroid biosynthesis in essential hypertension: A digenic phenomenon

“…Studying normotensive monozygotic and dizygotic twins gave no evidence of a genetic influence on plasma aldosterone concentration; urinary excretion of aldosterone, on the other hand, was clearly heritable in another study . In contrast, plasma aldosterone in the Framingham offspring population was only modestly heritable (h 2 =0.1, p<0.04) (Kathiresan et al 2005); this was confirmed in a study of 43 hypertensive sibling pairs (h 2 =0.19) (Kotchen et al 2000). It was clear from these studies that short-term environmental changes in dietary salt, potassium and posture could obscure the true heritability of aldosterone, as determined by single plasma aldosterone samples.…”

“…Despite being a highly heritable characteristic, this study showed that polymorphic variation in CYP11B2 and CYP11B1 only accounts for up to 10% of the observed variability in THaldo excretion. Furthermore, a subsequent study could not identify any association between plasma aldosterone levels and polymorphic variation in the CYP11B2 and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) genes (Kathiresan et al 2005). Therefore, it is clear that other genetic factors, such as those encoding other components of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS), must…”

“…Anti-hypertensive treatments have well-recognised effects on the aldosterone levels and the derived ARR. In the Framingham offspring cohort, aldosterone levels were higher in subjects using diuretics (Kathiresan et al 2005); the ARR was positively associated with beta-blockers and HRT and negatively associated with diuretics and ACE inhibitors (Newton-Cheh et al 2007). …”