Table 1.
Baseline characteristics at presentation
| PHAEOCHROMOCYTOMA n = 43 | PARAGANGLIOMA n = 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (at diagnosis; years) Range | 55.2 ± 2.0 20 − 59 |
41.6 ± 4.9 † 26 − 82 |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 16 | 2 |
| Female | 27 | 7 |
| Mode of Presentation | ||
| Incidentaloma | 5 | 2 |
| Abdominal pain | 12 | 6 |
| Hypertension | 24 | 5 |
| Sweats | 15 | 2 |
| Headache | 13 | 2 |
| Palpitations | 14 | 3 |
| Flushing | 3 | 0 |
| Hypertensive crisis | 2 | 0 |
| Syndromic screening | 5 | 0 |
| Panic attack | 3 | 0 |
| Genetics | ||
| NF1 | 2 | 0 |
| SDHB | 1 | 4 |
| SDHD | 3 | 0 |
| VHL | 1 | 0 |
| MEN 2A | 1 | 0 |
| Clonidine Suppression Test | ||
| Positive | 32 | 5 |
| Negative | 3 | 3 |
| Not done | 8 | 1 |
| MIBG | ||
| Positive | 22 | 9 |
| Negative | 3 | 0 |
| Not done | 18 | 0 |
| Location at Presentation | ||
| Left Adrenal | 23 | |
| Right Adrenal | 19 | |
| Bilateral Adrenal | 1 | |
| Abdominal Paraganglioma | 9 |
Data presented as Mean ± SEM
†
p < 0.05
The following criteria were applied to constitute a positive clonidine suppression test using plasma catecholamines: baseline plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline more than 11.82 nmol/l or plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline more than 2.96 nmol/l 3 hrs after administration of clonidine and < 50% fall in noradrenaline 3hrs post clonidine