Aldosterone-producing adenoma with prolonged amelioration by dexamethasone

Abstract

Secretion of aldosterone from aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) is to some degree under the control of ACTH and the suppressible effect of glucocorticoid on plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and blood pressure has been reported to be transient. We report a rare case of aldosteronism due to APA in which PAC and blood pressure were well controlled with small dose dexamethasone for over one year. No chimeric gene of glucocorticoid-remediable aldosteronism (GRA) was found in DNA of APA and leukocytes from peripheral blood and 17α-hydroxylase deficiency (17-OH-D) was ruled out by endocrinological examinations, this case indicates the possibility of an unknown mechanism of ACTH-dependent APA.