Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Nighttime Aldosterone Surges May Hide Treatable High Blood Pressure
Some people have high blood pressure because their bodies make too much of a hormone called aldosterone.
This hormone tells the kidneys to keep extra salt and water.
Extra salt and water can make blood pressure rise.
The hormone may come in short bursts, especially while a person is sleeping.
A regular blood test takes only one snapshot and may miss a burst.
In the study, researchers used a wearable device to check hormone levels every 20 minutes.
They studied 60 patients in four cities.
The device showed nighttime hormone patterns that ordinary testing might not detect.
More research is needed before this method can be used routinely by doctors.
A study found that primary aldosteronism may release aldosterone in nighttime bursts.
These temporary hormone surges can be missed by routine single blood tests.
Researchers monitored 60 patients continuously for 24 hours using the wearable U-RHYTHM system.
The strongest unusual patterns appeared in some patients whose condition involved one adrenal gland.
Researchers said continuous monitoring could improve diagnosis, but the technology is not yet a routine clinical test.
- Who
- Researchers studied 60 patients and included work led by Thomas Upton and Eder Zavala.
- What
- The study examined whether nighttime bursts of aldosterone can cause primary aldosteronism to be missed by routine blood tests.
- When
- The study monitored hormone levels continuously over a 24-hour period; its publication date was not specified.
- Where
- Patients were monitored at home in Bristol, Bergen, Stockholm and Athens.
- Why
- To better detect primary aldosteronism, a potentially treatable cause of high blood pressure that may be missed by single-time-point testing.
- Condition studied
- Primary aldosteronism, in which the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone.
- Hormone effect
- Excess aldosterone can cause the kidneys to retain sodium and water, raising blood pressure.
- Study size
- 60 patients.
- Monitoring period
- 24 hours.
- Monitoring device
- The wearable U-RHYTHM system collected samples from the skin every 20 minutes.
- Additional hormones measured
- 18-hydroxycortisol and 18-oxocortisol, along with aldosterone.
- Current status
- Continuous hormone monitoring remains a proof-of-concept approach and is not yet a routine diagnostic test.