Treatment of Hypertension Caused by Endocrine Gland Defects

About the disease

There are many conditions, which can cause development of hypertension. One of them is defect of endocrine glands. Endocrine glands are responsible for secreting hormones, which are vital for many body functions, such as burning calories and changing them into energy, influencing the work of heart and growth of muscles. It also contributes to growth of tissues and ability of a woman to become pregnant. Endocrine glands also keep diabetes and sexual dysfunction at bay helping the body to function normally. Endocrine glands include adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, female reproductive hormones, parathyroid responsible for growth of bones, pituitary gland located in the brain and responsible for controlling all other glands and thyroid glands responsible for metabolism. As you can see, endocrine glands are very important. In fact, this is a wholesome system and it defect affects all other organs of human body. If a person has defect in this system, there can be disbalance of hormones in the bloodstream, which, in its turn, causes development of hypertension. Such hypertension is also known as secondary hypertension, meaning that it was caused by conditions, other than heart. This type of hypertension can be very dangerous, resulting in weakening of heart muscles or even in heart attack, that`s why it needs to be treated upon finding.  

Symptoms

• Continuous high blood pressure
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Agitation
• Dizziness
• Strong pulsation

Diagnosis

• A blood test is used in order to measure the levels of hormones and to determine if there is defect, which affects the bloodstream. It is also used to rule out other conditions, which can be caused by endocrine gland defects, such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes or polycystic disease.
• ECG and echocardiogram are used in order to measure the electrical activity of the heart and to produce images of its ventricles and chambers in order to determine what stage of hypertension a person is having and what other underlying cause of this condition can be.

Treatment

• Conservative treatment is most commonly used to normalize the blood pressure of the person. If hypertension was caused by defects of endocrine glands, a person may be prescribed special drugs to normalize the hormone levels and, thus, normalize the hormonal balance in the bloodstream. Special drugs, such as beta blockers, can also lower the blood pressure. In some cases, if defects of endocrine glands were caused by the development of nodules a doctor recommends resection of these nodules in order to make hormonal balance normal once again. 

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko