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Anxiety in patients with pheochromocytomas
Archives of Internal Medicine
|February 1, 1985
Summary
Patients with pheochromocytomas do not necessarily experience anxiety disorders. This study found that elevated catecholamines from these tumors are insufficient to cause generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Psychiatry
- Oncology
Background:
- Anxiety symptoms are frequently observed in patients with pheochromocytomas.
- Pheochromocytomas are tumors that secrete catecholamines, potentially affecting psychological states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether patients with active pheochromocytoma meet diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders.
- To determine if catecholamine secretion by pheochromocytomas is sufficient to cause anxiety disorders.
Main Methods:
- Studied 17 patients with active pheochromocytoma and compared them to 52 patients with primary anxiety disorders.
- Assessed patients for symptoms meeting criteria for panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder (DSM-III).
- Analyzed tumor secretion types (norepinephrine or mixed epinephrine/norepinephrine).
Main Results:
- None of the 17 pheochromocytoma patients reported panic attack characteristics or agoraphobia.
- One patient was diagnosed with possible panic disorder; two met criteria for generalized anxiety disorder.
- Two patients were diagnosed with major depressive episode.
Conclusions:
- Elevated catecholamine levels from pheochromocytomas are not sufficient to elicit a full anxiety disorder.
- Anxiety symptoms in pheochromocytoma patients may stem from factors beyond catecholamine excess alone.
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