Pheochromocytoma: Or something else? Differential Diagnosis

Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).

  • In hyperglycemia (high blood sugar): think diabetes mellitus!
  • Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism).

Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)

  • Apoplexy (stroke)
  • Hypertensive encephalopathy – hypertensive emergency characterized by an increase in intracranial (within the skull) pressure with consequent intracranial pressure signs.
  • Hypertensive crisis (blood pressure values > 230/120 mmHg) of other genesis.
  • Intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding within the skull; parenchymal, subarachnoid, sub- and epidural, and supra- and infratentorial hemorrhage)/intracerebral hemorrhage (ICB; cerebral hemorrhage)
  • Coronary artery disease (CAD; coronary artery disease).
  • Renal artery stenosis (narrowing of the renal artery)
  • Pseudopheochromocytoma – paroxysmal (intermittent) hypertension (high blood pressure) in which a pheochromocytoma has been ruled out

Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).

  • Other tumors of the adrenal gland, e.g., ganglioneuroma.
  • Brain tumor

Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99)

  • Amphetamine abuse
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Cluster headache
  • Drug use such as cocaine abuse
  • Migraine
  • Munchausen syndrome – psychiatric clinical picture in which illnesses are faked in order to achieve a secondary gain of illness.
  • Panic disorder