Heart in adrenal diseases.

Abstract

The paper reviews the hitherto rather scarce literature concerned with cardiac changes in phaeochromocytoma, primary hyperaldosteronism and Cushing syndrome, and presents the authors' own echocardiographic findings in these diseases. In phaeochromocytoma they found a slight thickening of the interventricular septum which, however, did not fulfil the criteria of asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy. Also other parameters showed higher values attesting to an increased left ventricular mass, however, without exceeding normal limits. Focal disturbances of left ventricular kinetics and the decrease in LV systolic function were non significant. The picture of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, frequently mentioned in the literature, was observed only once, giving grounds to the suspicion that it is only a nonspecific manifestation of the hypercontractile state of the myocardium. In primary hyperaldosteronism only slight posterior LV wall thickening and an increase in the LV mass index were found, compared to control group. No significant changes were found in Cushing syndrome besides a tendency to concentric LV hypertrophy. Echocardiographic changes observed in all three affections disappeared after successful surgical or drug treatment.