How many will recur?

[Guest guest]

On Jan 11, 2008, at 5:32 AM, Helen wrote:

Does anyone have any figures for the return of PA after surgery? I'm

looking for facts to take to my Dr. as I don't want to be fobbed off...

I'd really like to know what is the % of Conn's patients who experience

a return to high BP after surgery and the timescales for this. Also how

often this increase in BP is caused by PA.

I'm probably looking for data that does not exist as I would not expect

most patients to be followed up for very long.

Helen in Scotland

If you note my article I believe that almost all PA is bilateral and will

return.  Also as folks age they may get the rise in BP with age that occurs in

most of us as we over salt our bodies.  Even the oirginal Conn's pts developed

HTN many years later but did not have Conn's biochemistry.  She did have DM

type 2.

  

This is strongly dependent on the information that was used to decide on

surgery.  If not based on AVS then about 50% will " return " because the disease

was

not recognized as only on one side.

If AVS is done properly and shows unilateral disease at that time then only

about 25% will have a return.   Most will have a long term reversal of the low

K especially.

Unfortunately these is no national or world wide registry of Conn's to

accumulate long term data.  Jeff and some of us are working on this for our

site.  

This would be a major contribution to what we know about the long term

followup.  But I suspect that after 5 years we will have many folks not keeping

in

touch..

The pathology of the adrenal is also a good predictor of response.  But needs

to be looked at by someone with lots of experience.

May your pressure be low!

Clarence E. Grim, BS, MS, MD

Senior Consultant to Shared Care Research and Consulting, Inc.

(sharedcareinc.com)

Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Epidemiology Med. Col. WI

Clinical Professor of Nursing, Univ. of WI, Milwaukee

Specializing in Difficult to Control High Blood Pressure

and the Physiology and History of Survival During

Hard Times and Heart Disease today.

**************

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