The following symptoms and complaints may indicate pheochromocytoma:
Main symptoms
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Paroxysmal hypertension (seizure-like increase in blood pressure) with hypertensive crises (high blood pressure crises) that can last from a few minutes to hours – 40-60% in adults
- Persistent (ongoing) hypertension – 50-60% in adults, up to 90% in children!
Symptoms in the context of a hypertensive crisis:
- Cephalgia (headache) (60-80%).
- Palpitations (heart palpitations)/tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) (50-70%)
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain) or flank pain.
- Sweating (40-60%)
- Paleness (35-45%)
- Inner restlessness, panic and anxiety (20-40%).
- Tremor (shaking)
- Angina pectoris (“chest tightness”; sudden pain in the heart area).
Other symptoms
- Hyperglycemia (hyperglycemia) and glucosuria (excretion of glucose in the urine) – 40-50% of cases.
- Weight loss (20-40%)
- Nausea (nausea) (20-25%)
- Orthostatic hypertension (10-20%)
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath) (10-20%)
- Vertigo (dizziness) (10-20%)
- Visual disturbances
- Polyuria/polydipsia (urinary flooding/increased drinking).
- Leukocytosis (increase in the number of leukocytes (white blood cells)).
Percentages
Characteristic of a pheochromocytoma is that the elevated blood pressure does not respond to drug therapy.
Pheochromocytoma may also be asymptomatic.
Note: Weight gain and facial flushing argue against a pheochromocytoma!