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Deoxycorticosterone producing tumor as a cause of resistant hypertension

Saurabh Gupta1, Jose Melendez, Apurv Khanna

  • 1University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.

Case Reports in Medicine
|July 31, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Resistant hypertension in a young woman was linked to a rare deoxycorticosterone (DOC) producing tumor. This diagnosis was made after ruling out other common causes, highlighting DOC tumors as a key factor in difficult-to-treat hypertension.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Nephrology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Resistant hypertension poses a significant clinical challenge, often requiring extensive investigation.
  • Standard evaluations for secondary hypertension, including renal artery stenosis and primary aldosteronism, can be unrevealing in some cases.

Observation:

  • A young woman presented with longstanding, difficult-to-treat hypertension.
  • Initial workup for renal artery stenosis and primary aldosteronism yielded negative results.

Findings:

  • Despite suppressed plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and plasma renin activity (PRA), a deoxycorticosterone (DOC) producing tumor was suspected.
  • Biochemical assays and imaging studies confirmed the presence of a DOC producing tumor.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of considering rare hormone-secreting tumors in the differential diagnosis of resistant hypertension.
  • Deoxycorticosterone producing tumors, though rare, represent a critical and treatable cause of severe, refractory hypertension.

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