Familial hyperaldosteronism

Familial hyperaldosteronism is a group of inherited conditions in which the adrenal glands, which are small glands located on top of each kidney, produce too much of the hormone aldosterone.^[1] Excess aldosterone causes the kidneys to retain more salt than normal, which in turn increases the body's fluid levels and causes high blood pressure.^[1] People with familial hyperaldosteronism may develop severe high blood pressure, often early in life.^[1] Without treatment, hypertension increases the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure.^[1] There are other forms of hyperaldosteronism that are not inherited.^[1]

This condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder.^[1] The various types of familial hyperaldosteronism have different genetic causes.^[1]

It is unclear how common these diseases are.^[1] All together they appear to make up less than 1% of cases of hyperaldosteronism.