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. 2007 May 31;4(1):62–72. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-6175.2002.01452.x

Table II.

Differential Diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma 2

All hypertensive patients (sustained and paroxysmal) when diagnosis is unknown
Anxiety, panic attacks, psychoneurosis, tension states
Hyperthyroidism
Paroxysmal tachycardia
Hyperdynamic β‐adrenergic circulatory state
Menopause
Vasodilating headache (migraine and cluster headaches)
Coronary insufficiency syndrome
Renal parenchymal or renal arterial disease with hypertension
Focal arterial insufficiency of the brain; cerebral vasculitis
Intracranial lesions (with or without increased intracranial pressure)
Autonomic hyper‐reflexia
Diencephalic seizure; Page's syndrome; dopamine surges
Preeclampsia (or eclampsia with convulsions)
Hypertensive crises associated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Hypoglycemia
Neuroblastoma; ganglioneuroblastoma; ganglioneuroma
Acute infectious disease; acute abdomen (cardiovascular catastrophe)
Unexplained shock
Neurofibromatosis (with hypertension)
Rare causes of paroxysmal hypertension (adrenal medullary hyperplasia; acute porphyria; clonidine withdrawal; baroreflex failure; pseudopheochromocytoma: factitious—induced by certain illegal, prescription, and nonprescription drugs); fatal familial insomnia
Conditions in italics may increase the excretion of catecholamines and/or metabolites.