Browsing by Author "Sanfuentes, Benjamín"

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    Real-world outcomes of Finerenone in Primary Aldosteronism
    (2025) Uslar, Thomas; Sanfuentes, Benjamín; Muñoz, Iván; Anand Vaidya; Baudrand Biggs, René
    Primary aldosteronism (PA) treatment with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) is effective but limited by side-effects and low potency of currently available options. Finerenone, a novel MRA, has emerged as a promising alternative but data in PA are lacking. This report presents a real-world study wherein PA patients on eplerenone were forced to switch to finerenone therapy during a national shortage. During treatment with finerenone, blood pressure and antihypertensive dose remained unchanged, but the proportion of patients with normal blood pressure and complete biochemical response was decreased (P = .004 and P = .008, respectively). The latter was determined by a reduction in direct renin concentration, a biomarker previously associated with increased cardiovascular risk in PA. Although these results could be explained by finerenone's unique pharmacokinetics and mechanism of action, further studies are needed to evaluate longitudinal outcomes associated with these findings and determine its effectiveness in PA treatment.
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    The Spectrum from Overt Primary Aldosteronism to Mild Dysregulated Aldosterone Production in Incidentally Discovered Adrenocortical Adenomas
    (2024) Uslar Nawrath, Thomas Hermann; Olmos, Roberto; Burnier, Alberth; Sanfuentes, Benjamín; Böhm, Pauline; Orellana, Maria Paz; Guarda, Francisco J.; Huete, Alvaro; Mertens, Nicolás; Besa, Cecilia; Andia, Marcelo E.; Majerson, Alejandro; Cartes, Jaime; Fardella, Carlos; Allende, Fidel; Solari, Sandra; Vaidya, Anand; Baudrand Biggs, René
    Background Incidental adrenocortical adenomas (IA) are common. Current guidelines suggest screening for primary aldosteronism (PA) only in cases of hypertension or hypokalemia. This study aimed to evaluate the spectrum from overt PA to mild dysregulated aldosterone production with a sensitive protocol irrespective of blood pressure (BP) and potassium in patients with IA.Methods 254 consecutive patients (excluding hypercortisolism) were evaluated. The spectrum of PA was defined as a suppressed renin plus the following criteria: 1)Overt PA: aldosterone-to-renin-ratio (ARR) >30 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr, plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) >15ng/dL, and/or 24h urinary aldosterone >10 ug/24h; 2)Moderate PA: ARR 20-30 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr, PAC 10-15 ng/dL; 3)Mild dysregulated aldosterone production: ARR <20 ng/dL-to-ng/mL/hr and PAC >5-10 ng/dL.Results 35% (n=89/254) met criteria for PA spectrum, 20% (34/89) were initially normotensive and 94% (84/89) normokalemic. Overt, moderate, and mild groups were 10%, 12%, and 13%. There were trends across groups of clinical severity: systolic BP (153±19, 140±14, 137±14 mmHg, p-trend<0.05), resistant hypertension (50%, 23%, 7% p-trend=<0.001), daily defined dose of antihypertensives (DDD) (3.2±1.6, 1.2±1.5, 0.4±0.6 p-trend=0.001), and lower eGFR (75.5±30.8, 97.8±38.5, 101±25.5, p-trend<0.01). At follow-up (mean 28±15 months), 87% had treatment with MR antagonists or surgery with decreased systolic BP relative to clinical severity, −31.3 ±23, −12.7 ±19, and −11.4 ±19 mmHg, (p-trend<0.001). Similar trends were observed for DDD, with significant increase in renin.Conclusions There is a prevalent spectrum of clinically-relevant PA and dysregulated aldosterone production in IA, irrespective of BP or potassium, usually undetected. Aldosterone-directed treatment improved BP and normalized renin even in milder cases.