The Steroid Profile of Adrenal Incidentalomas: Subtyping Subjects With High Cardiovascular Risk

Steroid profiling by mass spectrometry has shown implications for diagnosis and subtyping of adrenal tumors.

To investigate steroid profiles and their cardiovascular correlates in a large cohort of patients with nonsecreting (NS) adrenal incidentalomas and autonomous cortisol secretion (ACS).

Cohort study.

University hospital.

Patients (n = 302) with incidentally discovered adrenal masses, divided into unilateral adenoma and hyperplasia with ACS (n = 46 and n = 52, respectively) and NS (n = 120 and n = 84, respectively). Post-dexamethasone suppression test (DST) cortisol <50 or >50 nmol/L defined NS and ACS, respectively.

Analysis of 10-steroid panel by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and clinical data (mean follow-up 39 months).

Difference in baseline and post-DST steroid profiles between groups. Correlation with cardiovascular profile.

Patients with unilateral adenomas and ACS showed higher cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and corticosterone and lower dehydroepiandrosterone than those with NS adenomas. Patients with ACS hyperplasia showed higher cortisol and lower androgens in women than those with NS. Patients with ACS had reduced suppression of post-DST cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and corticosterone, irrespective of adrenal morphology. Post-DST cortisol and corticosterone were associated with higher prevalence of severe/resistant hypertension. Patients with ACS unilateral adenomas showed higher incidence of worsening of hypertensive disease and novel cardiovascular events than those with NS, with post-DST cortisol [hazard ratio (HR) 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.03; P < 0.001] and baseline corticosterone (HR 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.12; P = 0.031) among the main predictors.

Patients with adrenal incidentalomas showed different steroid profiles, depending on functional status and adrenal morphology, with implications for their cardiovascular status.