An observational study in Primary Aldosteronism and Hypertension, sponsored by Qifu Li. Recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-28.
Sponsored by Qifu Li · Observational
This prospective, single-center observational study aims to evaluate whether a steroid-based screening method can more accurately identify Primary Aldosteronism (PA) in hypertensive patients who remain on their usual antihypertensive medications, compared with the conventional aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR). PA is a common, potentially curable subtype of secondary hypertension that carries increased cardiovascular risk when undiagnosed or untreated. However, current screening protocols recommend "medication washout" or switching to minimally interfering drugs, which may pose safety concerns and add complexity.
In this study, approximately 406 participants (ages 18-75) with diagnosed hypertension and on at least one interfering antihypertensive drug (such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, or calcium channel blockers) will be enrolled at the Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Each participant will undergo two rounds of blood sampling-first while continuing their usual antihypertensive regimen (the "on-medication" state) and second following a standardized washout/switch period (the "standard state"), if medically feasible. At both stages, levels of plasma aldosterone, renin, and a broad panel of adrenal steroid hormones will be measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
By comparing diagnostic performance (e.g., sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) of the steroid-based screening versus the ARR, the study seeks to determine whether steroid profiling improves accuracy under real-world treatment conditions. Findings may help refine PA screening strategies, reduce the need for extensive medication adjustments, and contribute to better clinical management of hypertension.
201 studies on the registry are indexed under Hyperaldosteronism; 93 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 406 is above the median of 200 across 103 observational studies indexed under Hyperaldosteronism.
Browse Hyperaldosteronism studies →Qifu Li is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
This study will enroll adult patients diagnosed with hypertension (aged 18-75) who are receiving at least one antihypertensive medication that interferes with aldosterone or renin. Participants are recruited from the Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between April 2025 and December 2026. All candidates must meet the predefined inclusion criteria (e.g., on interfering antihypertensive drugs for ≥4 weeks) and provide written informed consent. Patients with other confirmed forms of secondary hypertension or severe comorbidities are excluded. The anticipated sample size is approximately 406 participants.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ULN (upper limit of normal)
The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.
“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)
GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².
Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Relapsed and refractory
Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants with confirmed primary aldosteronism (PA)
Diagnostic Test: Steroid-Based Screening (LC-MS/MS)
Participants with essential hypertension (EH)
Diagnostic Test: Steroid-Based Screening (LC-MS/MS)
This diagnostic intervention is a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based steroid profiling assay. It measures a panel of 18 adrenal steroid hormones (e.g., aldosterone, 18-hydroxycortisol, 18-oxocortisol, corticosterone) from plasma samples. In this study, it is used to screen for Primary Aldosteronism (PA) while patients remain on their usual antihypertensive medications. By comparing these steroid profiles against standard aldosterone-renin measurements, the method aims to reduce the need for medication washout and improve diagnostic accuracy for PA.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Steroid-Based Screening vs. ARR for Primary Aldosteronism in Patients on Antihypertensive Medications
The primary outcome is to compare the diagnostic accuracy (e.g., sensitivity, specificity, area under the ROC curve \[AUC\]) of a steroid-based screening approach with the conventional aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) for identifying primary aldosteronism (PA) in participants who remain on interfering antihypertensive medications (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, or calcium channel blockers). Confirmatory tests (e.g., captopril challenge, saline infusion) in a standard (washed-out) state will be used as the reference standard. A higher AUC or better sensitivity/specificity indicates superior performance.
Time frame: From baseline screening while on medication to completion of confirmatory testing, approximately 4-8 weeks.
Prospective validation of steroid profiling-derived biomarkers and combined strategies for unilateral primary aldosteronism
Among patients with subtype-confirmed primary aldosteronism, this outcome will assess the diagnostic performance of candidate biomarkers derived from steroid profiling and combined strategies, including approaches integrating adrenal imaging features, for identifying unilateral primary aldosteronism.
Time frame: From enrollment through completion of subtype classification, up to March 2026
Plan to share: No — We do not intend to share individual participant data from this study due to concerns regarding participant privacy, regulatory constraints, and the limited scope of the current study. Aggregated or summary results will be made publicly available through publication or the results section on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Started Apr 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 20 months after the start.
Of 64 non-industry observational studies under Hyperaldosteronism, half reached primary completion within 75 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 32 and three quarters within 96. This study's planned 20 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 64 studies reached it within 75 months; a quarter within 32 and three quarters within 96.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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