Monash University Researcher Leads Global Effort to Improve Management of Primary Aldosteronism
A/Prof Yang
Associate Professor Jun Yang from the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research has led an international team in developing a new way to assess treatment outcomes for primary aldosteronism, a common hormonal disorder. Primary aldosteronism occurs when the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, leading to high blood pressure and increased risk of heart, brain, and kidney problems.
Before this study, there was no standardised method to evaluate how well medical treatments were working for patients with this condition. Published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the research establishes new international consensus criteria for assessing medical treatment outcomes in condition.
The PAMO Criteria: A New Standard
The research team, comprising 54 co-authors from around the world, developed the Primary Aldosteronism Medical Treatment Outcome (PAMO) criteria through achieving consensus among the experts within the group. These criteria represent a standardised approach to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted medical treatments, filling a crucial gap in clinical practice and research.
Specifically, the criteria combine an assessment of a patient’s biochemical and clinical measurements, including potassium and renin levels in the blood, and blood pressure readings. This enabled clinicians to define whether a patient has had a complete, partial, or no response to the medical treatment for their primary aldosteronism, meaning they can measure how well a specific treatment is working.
To test their criteria, the researchers applied them to 1258 patients with primary aldosteronism from 28 medical centres around the world, and found that in the absence of a previous treatment-target goal, only half of these patients were being treated such that their biochemical markers achieved a “complete” response, and less than 20% were achieving a complete clinical response.
Why This Matters
Prior to this research, there was no standard way to check if treatments for primary aldosteronism were working well, which also means that there was no standard set of biochemical and clinical outcomes to aim for with treatment. The PAMO criteria give doctors a clear way to:
- Measure treatment success
- Adjust medication types or doses if needed
- Compare results across different hospitals and countries
Looking Ahead
A/Prof Yang's work shows that while current treatments help many patients, there's room for improvement. The team hopes these new guidelines will lead to better, more standardised care for people with primary aldosteronism worldwide.
This research highlights Monash University's commitment to improving global health through international collaboration and innovative medical research.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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