Pheochromocytoma

Disease Overview

Pheochromocytomas are tumors of the adrenal glands. These glands are located right above the kidneys. Pheochromocytomas cause the adrenal glands to make too many stress hormones called epinephrines and norepinephrines. This can lead to high blood pressure and cause symptoms such as severe headaches, irritability, sweating, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, weakness, chest pain, and anxiety. Rarely, this kind of tumor occurs outside the adrenal gland, usually somewhere in the abdomen. These are called extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas or paragangliomas. The cause of most pheochromocytomas is unknown. In some cases, there is a genetic cause. This type of tumor can occur in certain familial genetic syndromes, including multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2 (MEN2), neurofibromatosis type 1, Von Hippel-Lindau disease, hereditary paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma syndrome, Carney triad, and Carney-Stratakis dyad. There are also several genes that have been associated with pheochromocytoma when it does not occur as part of a syndrome.[3162][11338] 

Synonyms

• Adrenal Gland Chromaffin Paraganglioma
• Adrenal Gland Chromaffinoma
• Adrenal Gland Paraganglioma
• Intraadrenal Paraganglioma
• Chromaffin Paraganglioma of the Adrenal Gland
• Adrenal Gland Pheochromocytoma