Combining body mass index and serum potassium to urine potassium clearance ratio is an alternative method to predict primary aldosteronism

Abstract Background Though aldosterone–renin ratio (ARR) is the current routine screening method for suspicious primary aldosteronism, we hypothesized that the simple formula combining body mass index (BMI) and serum potassium to urine potassium clearance (PUKC) ratio was comparable to ARR. Methods Records of patients who were referred to the National Taiwan University Hospital for investigation of primary aldosteronism from January 1995 through December 2007 were retrieved. Primary aldosteronism was diagnosed based on the modified 4-corners criteria, otherwise essential hypertension was diagnosed. In both groups, the PUKC/BMI ratio was determined as well as the ARR. Bland–Altman and mountain-plot analysis were used to validate the agreement between ARR and PUKC/BMI. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of PUKC/BMI and ARR. Results The records for urinary potassium were analyzed for 177 hypertensive patients (134 patients with primary aldosteronism). ROC curves showed comparable areas under the curves of both methods (95% CI: − 0.029 to 0.183; p  = 0.186). Bland–Altman analysis further supported the agreement between ARR and PUKC/BMI ratio. Conclusions We found that the screening power of PUKC/BMI was as good as that of conventional ARR. With the quick and extensive availability of the PUKC/BMI method and its equivalence to ARR, this screening strategy would be a good first-line tool for massive community-based primary aldosteronism surveys.