Our data indicate a high prevalence of comorbidities in patients with PA. The hypokalemic variant is defined by a higher morbidity than the normokalemic variant regarding some cardiovascular but not cerebrovascular events. Thus, PA should be sought not only in hypokalemic but also in normokalemic hypertensives because high-excess morbidity occurs in both subgroups.

In this study photophysical characteristics of LOV-based fluorescent proteins which are essential for analytic methods as well as imaging approaches have been comparatively analyzed in detail.

In a large cohort of patients with PA, markers of disease activity such as plasma aldosterone and serum potassium are independent predictors of a lower GFR. Specific interventions, such as adrenalectomy or spironolactone treatment, are associated with a further decline in GFR.

Abstract-In comparison with essential hypertension, primary aldosteronism (PA) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. To date, no data on mortality have been published. We assessed mortality of patients treated for PA within the German Conn's registry and identified risk factors for adverse outcome in a case-control study.Patients with confirmed PA treated in 3 university centers in Germany since 1994 were included in the analysis. All of the patients were contacted in 2009 and 2010 to verify life status. Subjects from the population-based F3 survey of the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg served as controls. Final analyses were based on 600 normotensive controls, 600 hypertensive controls, and 300 patients with PA. Kaplan-Meyer survival curves were calculated for both cohorts. Ten-year overall survival was 95% in normotensive controls, 90% in hypertensive controls, and 90% in patients with PA (P value not significant). In multivariate analysis, age (hazard ratio, 1.09 per year [95% CI, 1.03-1.14]), angina pectoris (hazard ratio, 3.6 [95% CI, 1.04 -12.04]), and diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio, 2.55 [95% CI, 1.07-6.09]) were associated with an increase in all-cause mortality, whereas hypokalemia (hazard ratio, 0.41 per mmol/L [95% CI, 0.17-0.99]) was associated with reduced mortality. Cardiovascular mortality was the main cause of death in PA (50% versus 34% in hypertensive controls; PϽ0.05). These data indicate that cardiovascular mortality is increased in patients treated for PA, whereas all-cause mortality is not different from matched hypertensive controls. (Hypertension. 2012;60:618-624.) • Online Data Supplement Key Words: Conn syndrome Ⅲ aldosterone Ⅲ renin Ⅲ cardiovascular Ⅲ morbidity Ⅲ mortality A ldosterone is a key regulator of fluid and electrolyte balance in human physiology. Aldosterone excess in the presence of a high-sodium diet raises blood pressure. High blood pressure, together with direct proinflammatory and profibrotic effects of aldosterone on the vessel wall, causes and sustains cardiovascular atherosclerosis. 1,2 In keeping with these findings, high aldosterone levels are associated with mortality in heart failure cohorts, 3 and blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system by mineralocorticoid antagonists improves outcome in heart failure and after myocardial infarction. 4,5 The contribution of aldosterone to the development of arterial hypertension in the general population has been suggested by the Framingham Offspring Study, in which plasma aldosterone levels in normotensive subjects predicted subsequent increases in blood pressure and the development of hypertension. 6 Recent evidence suggests that primary aldosteronism (PA) is more common than previously thought. 7 Several studies have provided evidence that patients with PA are especially prone to cardiovascular and renal complications. In a recent study by Catena et al, 8 aldosterone excess caused left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction independent of blood pressu...