Mass spectrometry in the diagnosis of steroid-related disorders and in hypertension research.

The use of GC/MS and microbore HPLC/electrospray mass spectrometry for clinical studies in hypertension and mineralocorticoid research is described. In particular, an automated GC/MS method allows nearly quantitative measurements of metabolites of major steroids of adrenal, placental and gonadal origin. This method is able to distinguish almost all steroid related disorders. Electrospray mass spectrometry in conjunction with microbore HPLC is the latest mass spectrometry technique applicable to biochemical investigations. It offers high sensitivity (15 pg) for measurement of intact steroid conjugates and related compounds.