Early aldosterone linked to heart risk in youth

Unprecedented access to a unique group of Australians is allowing researchers to study links between raised aldosterone levels and elevated cardiovascular risk in various age groups – with important findings for heart health. This research is shedding new light on aldosterone heart risk, a critical factor in cardiovascular health.

Aldosterone heart risk and hypertension

A team headed by Associate Professor Jun Yang at Hudson Institute of Medical Research has spent several years raising awareness among the medical community of Primary Aldosteronism (PA).

One in three (almost six million) Australian adults has high blood pressure, or hypertension, and aldosterone-related hypertension affects around one in 10 of them.

Individuals with PA produce too much aldosterone, a hormone important for salt balance but harmful to the heart, kidneys and brain if produced in excess.

Raine Study: investigating aldosterone hear risk in young adults

Working with Professor Trevor Mori and his colleagues from the University of Western Australia, A/Prof Yang and the team previously investigated aldosterone levels in 17 and 27-year-old participants of the Raine Study, which has followed a cohort of nearly 3,000 young Australians born between 1989 and 1991.

Findings: early signs of aldosterone heart risk

Using the Raine Study data, the team found that aldosterone levels at age 17 were related to blood pressure in males but not females.

Now they are assessing whether early changes in PA biomarkers during young adulthood are associated with arterial stiffness and left ventricular mass index (LVMI), which is a recognised predictor of future cardiac problems.

A/Prof Yang said: “Studies to date have demonstrated a relationship between higher aldosterone levels and worse cardiovascular function due to thicker and stiffer heart muscles, mostly in adults aged over 40.  Our study is unique in finding such a relationship in young and relatively healthy people at age 27 years.”

“This research raises the question of when we should screen for aldosterone excess to enable early detection and subsequent prevention of cardiovascular injury,” she said.

Lastest research: association between PA and heart health

Their latest research, published in the journal Circulation, with first author Dr Roshan Ananda who first joined A/Prof Yang’s research team as a final year medical student, found that aldosterone concentration and aldosterone-renin-ratio were positively associated with the LVMI in young males and females regardless of their blood pressure readings. This finding provides strong evidence for aldosterone heart risk in young adults, potentially changing how we approach cardiovascular health in this age group.

Future directions

A/Prof Yang said they are now looking forward to following the Raine Study participants as they enter their 30s and, hopefully, beyond.

“This paper relates to data from a previous recall of the Raine Study when the participants were 27 years old.  We are very excited to have the opportunity to participate in the current recall of their 35-year-old participants, to further evaluate the changes in their aldosterone profiles and heart health.”

Summary

• Primary Aldosteronism (PA), or Conn Syndrome, is the most commonly under-diagnosed cause of high blood pressure affecting millions of people.
• Working with the Raine Study in Western Australia, researchers are analysing whether raised aldosterone levels in young people are linked to LVMI, a known predictor of future cardiac problems.
• Their work, published in Circulation, found that aldosterone concentration and aldosterone-renin-ratio were positively associated with the LVMI in young people, regardless of their blood pressure levels.