Verification and evaluation of aldosteronism demographics in the Taiwan Primary Aldosteronism Investigation Group (TAIPAI Group)

Objective: Current data on primary aldosteronism (PA) from Asian populations are scarce. This cohort study clarifies the attributes of patients with PA in a typical Chinese population.Design: An observational cohort study.Methods: The records of patients referred to the Hypertension Clinic from a multi-centre registration in Taiwan from January 1995 to December 2007 were reviewed. All patients with PA were classified into two subtypes: aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA); their characteristics were compared.Results: Our cohort consisted of 346 patients with PA, 255 with APA and 91 with IHA. The initial hypokalaemia (59% in APA vs. 27.5% in IHA, p < 0.0001) and transtubular potassium gradient (TTKG) (6.30 ± 2.41 in APA vs. 4.91 ± 2.03 in IHA, p = 0.01) were higher in the APA group. Baseline plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was also significantly different between the two subgroups (49.96 ± 38.15 ng/dl in APA vs. 34.24 ± 21.47 in IHA, p < 0.0001).Conclusions: I...