| abstract |
The present invention provides a method for detecting aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and/or idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA), which comprises the following steps (1) and (2): (1) a step of evaluating the activity of 3βHSD (3β-hydroxy-Δ5-steroid dehydrogenase), which is an enzyme essential for the production of aldosterone (A) and cortisol (F), in an adrenal gland sample (wherein 3βHSD mentioned above can act on both a pathway (A) for producing the substance (A), which is a pathway going through pregnenolone (P5) to progesterone (P4), and a pathway (F) for producing the substance (F), which is a pathway going through 17-hydroxypregnenolone (17OH-P5) to 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OH-P4), and the 3βHSD activity is evaluated by calculating the pathway (A)/pathway (F) ratio (an AFR, which is produced by dividing the pathway (A) by the pathway (F)), which is a ratio representing the relative frequency of the pathway (A) compared with the pathway (F)); and (2) a step of detecting APA and/or IHA on the basis of the pathway (A)/pathway (F) ratio (AFR) calculated in step (1). |