Doctors say they have found a medical test that can diagnose the most common curable cause of high blood pressure. Conn's syndrome - a disease of the adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys - is thought to be the cause behind one in 20 cases of hypertension.
But until now it has been difficult to detect, requiring a complex series of tests on blood taken from a vein supplying the adrenal gland. Experts at the University of Cambridge say a simple scan can spot the problem.
The hi-tech PET-CT scan looks for small growths in the adrenal glands that are about the size of a penny, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports.
These benign growths or tumors - called adenomas - pump out too much of a hormone called aldosterone, which in turn raises blood pressure.
There are drugs that can control the high blood pressure caused by Conn's syndrome, but the only cure is surgery, so making the diagnosis is very important”
The researchers developed a special radioactive tracer called 11C-metomidate, which lights up culprit adenomas in the scan. Once the problem is identified the condition can be treated either by surgically removing the affected gland or by using a drug to block the effects of aldosterone.
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