Does a genetic mutation indicate when high blood pressure can be cured by surgery?

Somatic GNA11 mutations - clues to cause and consequence of Primary Aldosteronism? (Dr Giulia Argentesi)

High blood pressure – or hypertension - is serious problem which affects a quarter of all adults. A common cause of hypertension is a condition called primary aldosteronism, where too much of the hormone aldosterone is produced. Excess aldosterone can come from a benign tumour on one adrenal gland. This is potentially curable by surgery to remove tumours on the affected gland or even the entire gland itself – a procedure known as an adrenalectomy. A number of genetic mutations within the adrenal gland that cause primary aldosteronism are known, but it is still difficult to predict who can be cured by surgery. Professor Morris Brown and his team at Queen Mary University of London have found that a gene called GNA11 is often mutated in benign adrenal tumours. This mutation often seems to exist alongside another mutation, in a gene called CTNNB1. Preliminary research indicates that people with this double mutation have a very high chance of having their hypertension completely cured by an adrenalectomy. Professor Brown and colleagues will now carry out an in-depth study on the occurrence of the GNA11/CTNNB1 double mutation, its effect on adrenal tissue, and how people who carry this double mutation respond to treatment for primary aldosteronism. This research could lead to a simple blood test being used to help identify people with hypertension who have a high chance of being cured by surgery.