[Cushing's syndrome].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Mika Tsuiki.
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A 63-year-old male patient was admitted for the treatment of malignant pheochromocytoma with multiple liver metastases. Plasma and urinary levels of catecholamines were elevated. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with concomitant administration of mitomycin C and gelatin sponge was performed for the treatment of liver metastases. Dose of alpha-1 blocker before TAE was increased to prevent hypertensive crisis during and after TAE. The hepatic metastatic lesion of CT findings was decreased after TAE. Although blood pressure showed a transient hypertension (180/100 mmHg) after every TAE, it returned rapidly to normal. The patient experienced transient abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite after every TAE; however, those symptoms were readily controlled by conventional medications. Slight elevation of liver transaminases was recognized but returned to normal range within 3 weeks. No other major side effects were seen with TAE. While plasma and urinary level of catecholamines were unchanged, plasma chromogranin A (CgA) level was significantly decreased. These results suggest that TAE is a useful treatment for hepatic metastases. Plasma CgA level is a useful marker in the treatment of malignant pheochromocytoma.
Aldosterone is one the representative cardiovascular hormones involved in the blood pressure and body-fluid homeostasis. Elevation of aldosterone leads to systemic hypertension through its action on the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in the kidney. More recent studies demonstrated that aldosterone may produce target organ damage through its direct actions on the non-epithelial MR of the heart in addition to its systemic effects. Clinical experience in primary aldosteronism supports the concept that aldosterone is a risk factor of cardiovascular complications, since concentric type of cardiac hypertrophy is most common in primary aldosteronism among various types of endocrine hypertension. Clinical mega-trial in congestive heart failure (RALES study, EPHESUS study) demonstrated blocking angiotensin II action is not sufficient for cardioprotection unless aldosterone action is equally blocked. An important phenomenon related to this issue is the aldosterone breakthrough which implies a reelevation of plasma aldosterone during chronic administration of ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin receptor antagonists. Normal level of aldosterone could still be a risk factor. Combination of ACE inhibitor or ARB with aldosterone antagonist could result in a better cardioprotection in cardiovascular diseases. Although spironolactone has been the only one aldosterone antagonist, a new antagonist eplerenone has been developed. Eplerenone is specific to MR and is practically devoid of the major side effect gynecomastia of spironolactone. Another topic of aldosterone is its very quick cardiovascular effect presumably via a non-genomic action. All these recent findings support that this adrenocortical steroid hormone is as important as angiotensin II. Determining aldosterone levels is therefore much morel important than before in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.