Secondary Aldosteronism

Conditions of secondary aldosteronism are common in clinical medicine, occurring in normotensive and hypertensive settings. In some conditions such as edema disorders, this represents a partially beneficial response to restore volume and Na at the expense of hypokalemia. In RVH and malignant hypertension, the aldosteronism may be beneficial, but most evidence shows a detrimental impact. In both situations, aldosterone does not compensate fully for Na degradation and facilitates K loss. In pregnancy, aldosterone's effects is more successful for volume conservation, and the action on K is almost completely overridden by other K-sparing factors. Chronic renal failure seems to best benefit from hyperaldosteronism, but the response is limited because aldosterone must act on extrarenal targets. In iatrogenic causes of secondary aldosteronism, the effects of aldosterone are mostly detrimental. The overall conclusion supports the hypothesis that aldosterone functions best in physiologic situations, but in pathophysiologic settings it does not perfectly compensate for the basic defect. This implies that in these complex conditions, successful therapy should address the disorder in aldosterone and also the other underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms.