ADRENOCORTICAL COMPOUNDS IN THE BLOOD

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The widespread but frequently contradicted belief that the adrenal glands play an active and substantial role in almost all forms of arterial hypertension is based on the following facts: Tumors both of adrenal medullary and of adrenal cortical tissue have often been found to be accompanied by transitory or permanent arterial hypertension, either without clinical signs of severe renal damage, a condition simulating essential hypertension, or with albuminuria, isosthenuria, retention of nonprotein nitrogen, etc., a condition simulating malignant nephrosclerosis. In cases of the latter type autopsy has frequently revealed complete absence of morphologic changes in the kidneys. The pathogenetic significance of pheochromocytoma in cases of hypertension has been evidenced by spectacular curative results obtained by removal of the tumor (Pincoffs,1 Brunschwig, Humphreys and Roome2 and others). The literature concerning the relation of tumors of the adrenal glands to hypertension in general has recently been reviewed by Bauer3