Aldosterone

links: Steroid reference: 4-11-2021

Aldosterone #

A stress hormone, mineralcorticoid, released by the Adrenal Cortex.

• Correlated with Hair Loss
• Stimulates production of VEGF, which causes capillaries to become leaky apparently.
• Aldosterone receptor antagonists are known as MRAs (mineralcorticoid receptor antag)
• Water: swelling, tension, pain, fatigue, aging (Peat)
  • Aldosterone is released when there is inadequate sodium in the diet. At the kidney, it increases sodium retention, at the expense of increasing the loss of potassium, magnesium, ammonium, and possibly calcium.
    • Loss of potassium & magnesium leads to Vasoconstriction, and sodium alike, I think, maybe due to this exact process or something else
    • Consider that unlike sodium, potassium and magnesium are intracellular electrolytes, their wasting causes cellular dehydration, leading to edema (which is pure water without electrolytes to structure
• Aldosterone and the Risk of Hypertension
  • Among patients with hypertension in general, and among those with more severe or resistant hypertension in particular, a higher than expected prevalence of primary hyperaldosteronism is noted… recent community-based studies among non-hypertensive individuals in the general population have demonstrated that both a higher serum aldosterone concentrations and a higher aldosterone to renin ratio portend a greater risk of developing hypertension.