A 25-year-old man presents to the ER with a 3-month history of intermittent pounding headaches, sweating, and palpitations. He denies any symptoms of depression or anxiety. On examination, he is a thin gentleman, BP 240/120, heart rate 110/minute, thyroid not enlarged. There is no prior history of hypertension.
The most likely diagnosis is which of the following?
- carcinoid syndrome
- thyroid cancer
- pheochromocytoma
- aldosteronoma
- renal artery stenosis
Answer(s): C
Explanation:
The classic triad of pheochromocytoma is sweating, headache, and palpitations. When these are associated with hypertension, they have a sensitivity and specificity of >90% for the diagnosis. Paroxysms are not a component of aldosterone secreting tumors or renal artery stenosis. Hyperthyroidism and panic attacks would be in the differential diagnosis, but thyroid cancer is not associated with hypertension.
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