Aldosterone-targeted Therapy after Primary Aldosteronism Testing in Resistant Hypertension: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Primary aldosteronism (PA) testing is recommended for patients with resistant hypertension but remains underused, and evidence linking aldosterone-targeted therapy to improved cardiovascular and renal outcomes is limited.

In a nationwide cohort of patients with resistant hypertension between 2001 and 2022, we assessed PA testing and subsequent mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) use and adrenalectomy. Among tested patients, time-dependent Cox models were used to assess associations between treatment exposure and mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and renal outcomes.

Among 254,338 patients, only 2.0% were tested for PA. Tested patients had a higher prevalence of hypokalemia and cardiometabolic comorbidities. In the overall tested population, MRA use was not associated with lower risks of cardiovascular or renal outcomes. However, when testing resulted in an established PA diagnosis, the use of both MRA (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.86) and adrenalectomy (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20-0.54) were associated with a reduced risk of MACE compared with no aldosterone-targeted therapy. Similar results were observed regarding mortality. Adrenalectomy was associated with lower risk of MACE (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.30-0.99), all-cause mortality (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.93) and renal outcomes (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.80) compared with MRA in patients with a diagnosis of PA.

PA remains markedly underrecognized in resistant hypertension. Among patients with resistant hypertension who did undergo PA testing with establishment of a PA diagnosis, aldosterone-targeted therapy resulted in lower risk of adverse cardiorenal outcomes and death when compared to conventional antihypertensive therapy.