Genetic aspects in primary aldosteronism

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is one of the common forms of secondary hypertension.Compared with essential hypertension patients,PA patients have a higher incidence of target organ damage and cardiovascular events.Elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanisms will likely aid the development of targeted treatments and improve prognosis for PA patients.At present,studies have elucidated the pathogenesis of familial hyperaldosteronism type Ⅰ,while the study of the pathogenesis of other subtypes is still in progressing.This review introduces the current studies on the molecular genetics of primary aldosteronism. Key words: Primary aldosteronism ;  Pathogenesis ;  Aldosterone synthase ;  KCNJ5