Resistant Hypertension? Don’t Forget Cortisol
Resistant Hypertension? Don’t Forget Cortisol
* Resistant hypertension (HTN) affects approximately 8.5%–20% of patients with hypertension.
* Hypercortisolism is an often-overlooked secondary cause of resistant HTN.
* In the multicenter MOMENTUM study, 27.3% of U.S. patients with resistant HTN had hypercortisolism.
* Before adding another antihypertensive drug, clinicians should consider screening for excess cortisol as a potentially treatable cause.
* In resistant hypertension, however, clinicians should consider screening for hypercortisolism using a first-line test (overnight 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test, late-night salivary cortisol, or 24-hour urinary free cortisol).
Source: Medscape. July 21, 2026. Based on the MOMENTUM study.
https://www.medscape.com/