Aldosterone content in plasma, erythrocytes and skeletal muscles in Icenko-Cushing's syndrome

Aldosterone concentration was measured in plasma, erythrocytes and skeletal muscles in 34 patients with Icenko-Cushing's syndrome (ICS). It was established that aldosterone levels in the erythrocytes and whole blood of these patients were elevated, while aldosterone content in the plasma and muscular tissue of the patients was normal. Only in a small group of patients (N = 4) aldosterone levels positively correlated with arterial pressure (BP) and central hemodynamic parameters. Following 10 minutes of headdown tilt (-15 degrees), erythrocyte aldosterone level in the group of healthy controls (N = 12) was markedly elevated, but not in the group of patients with ICS. The results of the study suggest that erythrocytes can be viewed as a mobile aldosterone "depot" and may operate to mediate depressor effects of certain hormones on central hemodynamics.