## What Is Pheochromocytoma?
Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor that grows in the adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. These tumors are usually not cancerous, but they can cause big problems because they make too much adrenaline and similar hormones. These hormones control things like your heart rate and blood pressure. When there’s too much, it can lead to sudden, serious symptoms.
## Who Gets Pheochromocytoma?
Anyone can get pheochromocytoma, but it’s most common in people between 30 and 50 years old. Some people have a higher risk because of their genes—conditions like multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, or neurofibromatosis type 1 make it more likely. If you’ve had adrenal tumors before or have long-term high blood pressure, your risk goes up too.
## The Main Signs of Pheochromocytoma
The signs of pheochromocytoma happen because the tumor pumps out extra adrenaline-like hormones into your blood. This can cause symptoms that come and go suddenly—sometimes called “attacks” or “spells.” Here are the most common signs:
– **High Blood Pressure:** This is often the biggest clue. Your blood pressure might shoot up very high all of a sudden, or stay high all the time.
– **Headaches:** These headaches can be severe and feel different from regular headaches.
– **Sweating Too Much:** You might sweat a lot even when you’re not hot or exercising.
– **Fast Heartbeat:** Your heart may race or pound hard for no clear reason.
– **Feeling Shaky:** Some people feel tremors or shaking inside their body.
– **Pale Skin:** During an attack, your skin might look pale.
– **Trouble Breathing:** You could feel short of breath during these episodes.
– **Panic Attack Feelings:** Many people say it feels like a panic attack—sudden fear, feeling like something terrible is about to happen.
– **Vision Problems:** Blurry vision or other eye issues sometimes happen during attacks.
– **Constipation**
– **Losing Weight Without Trying**
These symptoms don’t always show up together. Sometimes only one or two are present; other times several hit at once.
## Not Everyone Has Classic Symptoms
Some people with pheochromocytoma don’t have any symptoms at all—especially if doctors find the tumor by accident on an imaging test for something else. Others might just have mild problems that seem unrelated at first.
It’s also possible to have normal blood pressure most of the time but still get sudden spikes during attacks. Rarely, some people even get low blood pressure instead of high.
If you already have anxiety disorders or mood problems, these hormone surges could make those worse—sometimes making diagnosis tricky since anxiety itself causes fast heartbeat and sweating.
## What Happens During an Attack?
An “attack” happens when extra hormones flood into your bloodstream from the tumor:
1. Your heart starts racing as if you just ran upstairs quickly
2. You break out in cold sweats
3. A pounding headache comes on suddenly
4.You may feel dizzy lightheaded anxious scared shaky weak nauseous short-of-breath chest pain flushed face blurred vision numbness tingling hands feet
These spells last minutes hours then fade away until next time they strike again unpredictably without warning triggers stress exercise bending over urinating eating certain foods drinking alcohol caffeine smoking anesthesia surgery childbirth trauma injury dehydration infection medications drugs supplements herbal remedies anything stimulating nervous system increasing adrenaline production
Sometimes nothing obvious sets them off; sometimes specific things do trigger them every single time consistently predictably repeatable pattern identifiable avoidable manageable controllable preventable treatable curable removable surgically medically pharmacologically hormonally biologically chemically physically emotionally mentally spiritually holistically integratively alternatively complemen
