Recurrent Urosepsis and Cardiogenic Shock in an Elderly Patient with Pheochromocytoma

Pheochromocytomas are thought to be uncommon in the elderly. However, the prevalence is likely to be higher than reported, as older patients are less likely to be diagnosed due to absence of classical symptoms of sympathetic overactivity and confounding effects of aging, comorbidities, and medicatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Case reports in endocrinology 2011-01, Vol.2011 (2011), p.1-4
Main Authors: Khoo, Joan Joo-Ching, Au, Vanessa Shu-Chuan, Chen, Richard Yuan-Tud
Format: Article
Language:English
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Case Report
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Summary:Pheochromocytomas are thought to be uncommon in the elderly. However, the prevalence is likely to be higher than reported, as older patients are less likely to be diagnosed due to absence of classical symptoms of sympathetic overactivity and confounding effects of aging, comorbidities, and medications. We describe a hypertensive elderly patient with incidentally diagnosed pheochromocytoma complicated by recurrent urosepsis, cardiomyopathy, and fatal myocardial infarction. Our case demonstrates that, in older hypertensive patients without classical symptoms, orthostatic hypotension and urinary retention, which are common in the elderly, may indicate catecholamine excess and that the deleterious cardiovascular consequences of catecholamine excess in the elderly are not prevented by pharmacological α- and β-blockade.
ISSN:2090-6501
2090-651X
DOI:10.1155/2011/759523