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About 1 in 100 people with hypertension have elevated levels of aldosterone; in these people, the antihypertensive effect of spironolactone may exceed that of complex combined regimens of other antihypertensives since it targets the primary cause of the elevated blood pressure.
Spironolactone inhibits the effects of mineralocorticoids, namely, aldosterone, by displacing them from the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in the cortical collecting duct of kidney nephrons. This decreases the reabsorption of sodium and water while limiting the excretion of potassium.
Aldosterone is the main mineralocorticoid steroid hormone produced by the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland. [4] [5] It is essential for sodium conservation in the kidney, salivary glands, sweat glands, and colon. [6]
Hypoaldosteronism causes low sodium (hyponatremia), high potassium (hyperkalemia), and metabolic acidosis, a condition in which the body produces excess acid.These conditions are responsible for the symptoms of hypoaldosteronism, which include muscle weakness, nausea, palpitations, irregular heartbeat, and abnormal blood pressure.
Aldosterone has effects on most or all cells of the body but, clinically, the most important actions are in the kidney, on cells of the late distal convoluted tubule and medullary collecting duct. In the principal cells aldosterone increases activity of basolateral membrane sodium-potassium ATPase and apical epithelial sodium channels, ENaC ...
In adrenal insufficiency, there is a deficiency in cortisol production which may be accompanied by a deficiency in aldosterone production (predominantly in primary adrenal insufficiency). [2] [3] Depending on the cause and type of adrenal insufficiency, the mechanism of the disease differs. Generally, the symptoms manifest through the systemic ...
Hans Selye, a Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist, studied the effects of aldosterone antagonists on rats and found that the use of one of the first aldosterone antagonists, spironolactone, protected them from aldosterone-induced cardiac necrosis. The same year, 1959, spironolactone was launched as a potassium-sparing diuretic.
The trial was stopped early because the beneficial effect of spironolactone on all-cause death exceeded the prespecified discontinuation requirements. Spironolactone reduced the risk of death by 30% compared to placebo. Additionally, there was a 35% reduction in the risk of hospitalization for worsening heart failure in the spironolactone group.