Hyperaldosteronism, hyperparathyroidism, medullary sponge kidneys, and hypertension

Hyperparathyroidism and hyperaldosteronism coexisted in association with medullary sponge kidneys in a 27-year-old woman with severe hypertension. A modest fall in systolic and diastolic pressure followed removal of a parathyroid adenoma. Blood pressure was controlled with spironolactone therapy and restored to normal after removal of an aldosterone-secreting adrenal tumor. Elevated levels of aldosterone may have been responsible for the severe hypertension, while hypercalcemia may have had a synergistic effect on the arteriolar response to circulating vasoactive peptides.