hormonal and metabolic disorders
Pheochromocytoma
Introduction
A pheochromocytoma is a tumor that usually originates from the adrenal glands’ chromaffin cells, causing overproduction of catecholamines, powerful hormones that induce high blood pressure and other symptoms. High blood pressure is the most important symptom, but a fast and pounding pulse, excessive sweating, light-headedness when standing, rapid breathing, severe headaches, and many other symptoms may also occur. Doctors measure the blood levels of catecholamines or products created when catecholamines are broken down by the body and use imaging tests to try to find the tumor. Usually, the best treatment is to remove the pheochromocytoma. (See also Overview of the Adrenal Glands and the figure Most pheochromocytomas grow within the the inner part of the adrenal glands (the medulla). About 10% grow in chromaffin cells outside the adrenal glands. Less than 10% of pheochromocytomas that grow within the adrenal glands are cancerous, but this percentage is higher for those outside the adrenal glands. Pheochromocytomas may occur in men or women at any age, but they are most common in people between the ages of 20 and 40. Some people who develop pheochromocytomas have a rare inherited condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Syndromes (MEN) that makes them prone to tumors in the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. Pheochromocytomas may also develop in people who have 