question: Hi I am a 40 year old, female who has hypertension. I am 5 foot 1 inch, and weigh 140 pounds. I am on 5 different blood pressure medicines and still, my blood pressure is quite high. 140's-160's over 90's-110's. I recently had blood work done and it showed my potassium level had dropped to 2.9. I am now taking oral potassium supplements. I had a renin level drawn and it was slightly elevated at 8.7, and Aldosterone was normal-high at 29.8. I do not really know what that means? Could I have a kidney problem? My Doctor wants me to go to a Nephrologist. My kidney function tests are normal BUN 10 and Creatinine 0.9 except, the bun/creat ratio is low at 10.9. I have been experiencing hot flashes and night sweats for the last 4 years. I have had severe vertigo, and balance issues for the last 4 years also. I am dizzy all the time. I am beginning to think that I am beyond help at this point! I did have a cat scan done. I have a few cysts in both kidneys, and the liver. They are only about 10mm. I was also wondering if this could be the cause of the hypertension? I know there is something wrong, but I do not know what?