Pheochromocytoma, as a rule, is found incerebral matter, less often - in chromaffin tissue. Experts call it the most unexplored endocrine pathology for today. Modern medicine is difficult to explain the etiology and development of the disease. In order for a patient to be diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, the symptoms should be pronounced. It is known for sure that this disease is inherited and is rare: one person in ten thousand. And it should be noted that patients at high risk are patients suffering from high blood pressure.
Pheochromocytoma: Diagnosis
As a rule, the diagnosis is accompanied bycertain difficulties, because the tumor does not produce anything and develops completely asymptomatically. In about ten percent of cases, the neoplasm can develop into a malignant one, by letting metastases to the lymph nodes, the liver, even to the lungs and muscles.
If you do have pheochromocytoma, symptomswill be as follows: first, high blood pressure (it can be either constantly or periodically). Hypertension can be provoked by strong experiences, heavy physical exertion or simply the patient's reluctance to limit himself to eating. In addition, this disease is characterized by such symptoms as pulsating headache, nausea, attacks of vomiting, excessive sweating. The patient's skin is pale, legs often cramp. It should be emphasized that if you have a pheochromocytoma, the symptoms completely disappear after the end of the attack. In any case, it will be advisable to visit a specialist if you notice attacks of unreasonable anxiety, short-term faints, "hot flashes", similar to those experienced by women with menopause.
Complications
Less often the patient is diagnosed with a complicatedpheochromocytoma. Symptoms in this case resemble several diseases, among them cardiovascular, endocrine, gastric and mental. In particular, patients have acute heart failure, unjustified psychoses, elevated red blood cells, uncontrolled salivation and hyperglycemia. Among the clinical symptoms of pheochromocytoma, doctors call the presence of catecholamines in the urinary system and adrenal glands (these are substances produced by the tumor). After they were discovered, it is necessary to observe how the patient's pressure fluctuates. In general, monitoring of cardiac activity is considered an important point in the diagnosis.
Treatment
The adrenal pheochromocytoma is usually eliminatedwith the help of the operation, but before assigning a surgical intervention, the doctor must make sure that the patient's pressure is stabilized. For this, a-adrenoblockers are successfully used. Conservative treatment, in principle, is possible, but less effective, since it is mainly aimed at lowering the level of catecholamines in the body, which is fraught with serious problems with the stomach and even with a mental disorder.
