The most prevalent cause of secondary hypertension is primary aldosteronism (PA). However, the prevalence of PA in the general population has not been investigated. To ascertain the prevalence of PA in the general population was the goal of the study. The Swedish National Patient Registry was used to identify patients who got a PA diagnosis code between 1987 and 2016. To validate the diagnosis, clinical and biochemical data were analysed. The yearly incidence of PA was estimated using the population of Västra Götaland County as a reference. 473 of the 570 individuals identified had confirmed PA. At the time of diagnosis, the average age was 56 12 years. Between 1987 and 1996, the median annual incidence was 2 cases per million, 6 cases per million between 1997 and 2006, and 17 cases per million between 2007 and 2016. At the end of the research, 386 individuals with verified PA were still alive and residing in the county of Västra Götaland, resulting in a prevalence of 231 instances per million.
Despite rising rates of occurrence, the proportion of individuals diagnosed with PA is lower than predicted. Given the significant implications of untreated PA, the study’s markedly low prevalence at the conclusion emphasises the need to raise PA awareness among health care professionals.
Reference:https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/106/9/e3603/6273570
