Randomized trial studying metabolic outcomes and quality of life after adrenalectomy versus conservative management for mild autonomous cortisol secretion

Objective: Evaluate the impact of adrenalectomy on metabolic parameters and quality of life (QoL) in patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS). Method: A multicenter prospective randomized clinical trial compared adrenalectomy with conservative management. Metabolic parameters and QoL...

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Main Authors: Grethe Å Ueland, Oskar Ragnarsson, Anette Heie, Albin Kjellbom, Ola Lindgren, Andreas Muth, Fausto Palazzo, Per L Poulsen, Lars Rolighed, Hrafnkell Baldur Thordarson, Florian Wernig, Anders Bergenfelz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bioscientifica 2025-07-01
Series:Endocrine Connections
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Online Access:https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/14/7/EC-25-0361.xml
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Summary:Objective: Evaluate the impact of adrenalectomy on metabolic parameters and quality of life (QoL) in patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS). Method: A multicenter prospective randomized clinical trial compared adrenalectomy with conservative management. Metabolic parameters and QoL were assessed at baseline and after 2 years. Results: Forty-three MACS patients with a single adrenal adenoma were randomized to either adrenalectomy (n = 21) or conservative management (n = 22). At baseline, 33 patients had hypertension, 13 had type 2 diabetes (T2D), 18 used statins, and nine patients had osteoporosis. After 2 years, normalization of cortisol levels post 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test was achieved in 19/21 adrenalectomy patients compared to 2/22 patients in the conservative group (P < 0.01). All adrenalectomy patients had a significant increase in ACTH and DHEA-S. Office blood pressure and daily defined doses of antihypertensives (DDD) improved in nine of 12 adrenalectomy patients versus four of 15 conservatively treated patients (P = 0.01). Using 24 h blood pressure and DDD, improvement rates were five of 11 in the adrenalectomy group and six of 15 in the conservative group (P = 0.78). Among patients without T2D, the 120 min glucose level during oral glucose tolerance test was lower in the adrenalectomy group (6.2 vs 7.3 mmol/L, P = 0.04), but within-group changes were not different (P = 0.76). There were no statistically significant differences in QoL between the two groups. Conclusion: Adrenalectomy showed trends toward improvement in office blood pressure and glucose metabolism in MACS, suggesting possible reduction in cardiovascular risk and metabolic complications.
ISSN:2049-3614