Prognosis of Primary Aldosteronism: A Prospective Cohort Study

Overview

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary hypertension, and patients with PA have a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular and renal complications compared with those with essential hypertension. However, PA remains substantially underdiagnosed and undertreated in clinical practice, and relevant research data on the short-term and long-term prognosis of PA patients in the Chinese population are particularly scarce. This is a multicenter, prospective cohort study designed to systematically collect real-world clinical data of PA patients, including baseline clinical characteristics, etiological subtypes, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and long-term follow-up outcomes. Through 5 years of standardized follow-up, this study will analyze the differences in treatment efficacy among PA patients with different pathological subtypes (e.g., adrenal adenoma, adrenal hyperplasia), evaluate the short-term therapeutic efficacy and long-term prognosis of PA patients undergoing different treatment modalities including pharmacotherapy, surgery and interventional therapy, and explore the risk factors for adverse clinical outcomes. Ultimately, it will provide high-quality real-world evidence-based data to optimize the clinical diagnosis and management of PA and improve the long-term prognosis of affected patients.

This study conducts long-term follow-up observations on patients with primary aldosteronism (PA), dynamically tracks changes in their condition, and systematically collects information related to treatment regimens and health outcomes, aiming to ultimately achieve the following research objectives: clarify the proportion and regularity of PA patients achieving normalization of both blood pressure and relevant hormonal levels after treatment (i.e., the status of "complete cure"); analyze differences in therapeutic efficacy among PA patients with different pathological subtypes such as adrenal adenoma and adrenal hyperplasia; evaluate the impact of different treatment modalities including pharmacotherapy, surgery and interventional therapy on patients' long-term health; observe the trajectory changes of PA-induced damage to the heart, kidneys and blood vessels, as well as metabolic and cognitive function abnormalities; and screen for key factors influencing patients' blood pressure control efficacy and the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.