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Unusual presentation of more common disease/injury
CASE REPORT
Hypertensive emergency masquerading as phaeochromocytoma: a report of two cases
  1. Raphael Hulkower,
  2. Sriram Gubbi,
  3. Mimoza Meholli,
  4. Ulrich Schubart
  1. Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Raphael Hulkower, RHulkower{at}gmail.com

Summary

We report two cases of patients who were hospitalised for hypertensive emergency. In both cases, laboratory testing during admission revealed elevated normetanephrines in the range of 4–5 times the upper limit of normal using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Imaging studies did not localise any phaeochromocytoma or paraganglioma (PPGL). Repeat biochemical testing after discharge was within normal limits in both cases. These observations suggest that hypertensive emergency should be recognised as a potential cause of ‘false-positive’ laboratory findings in the diagnostic assessment for PPGL.

  • adrenal disorders
  • hypertension

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2016-217628

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All authors made significant contributions to the management of the original case and to the composition of the manuscript and revision. RH is the primary and corresponding author. SG and MM made significant contributions to the management and the manuscript and its revision. US supervised and contributed to both the care of the patient and the composition of the manuscript and revision.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.