Pheochromocytoma, a very particular tumor

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I wish you all a great weekend, I hope you are very well. I bring today for everyone an interesting topic, luckily it is a very rare disease to see, but it came to my mind after watching a documentary in which they related this disease with the criminal action of some individuals.

I am referring specifically to pheochromocytoma, a tumor whose most common location is the adrenal gland, and translates to a disease by the fact that the substances it produces, catecholamines, have a substantial importance in our tolerance to stress, and in turn can greatly affect our behavior.

Let's analyze what it is, how it is expressed, how it is diagnosed, I hope this topic is to your liking and if you are interested in knowing more about it I recommend you to continue reading this post.


Pixabay/ Author: Momonator

As I have mentioned on other occasions, our body is composed of a set of systems that work in an organized and orderly manner to ensure the balance of our organism. Both the nervous system and the endocrine system are determinant in the ways our body relates to the environment, using our body as a medium to express our psychology in actions.

Hormones are very important in the way we feel, and there is a very particular group, called catecholamines, which are the ones that prepare us to tolerate stress. These are basically epinephrine (adrenaline) norepinephrine and dopamine. These not only act as hormones but also as neurotransmitters, which gives them the ability to act in different parts of the body, even at the level of the nervous system.

Why are they called stress hormones?

This is the fundamental part in order to understand what the disease that is the focus of this publication, pheochromocytoma, consists of.



Pixabay/ Author: Olichel

When we are in a situation that involves a great emotional load, that generates stress (physical or emotional), the adrenal glands notice it and produce and release a large amount of these neuro-hormones into the bloodstream, so that they are distributed to all organs and prepare them to tolerate and react according to the stressful situation.

We can say that it produces the following:

  • Cardiac action: it produces an increase of the cardiac frequency as well as of the force with which the heart expels the blood of the heart.
    This is logical, when we are in a stressful situation our body in general (muscles, eyes, etc) will need more energy to function, therefore they need more oxygen and glucose, which travel in the blood, for this reason they act on the heart in this way.

  • Vascular effects: it produces a double action, depending on the body site. On the one hand there are vascular beds that contract, therefore, they will not receive as much blood. This is because they are organs that are not considered necessary at a time of stress, but instead other vascular beds dilate, such as the blood vessels of the brain, heart, being these transcendental in the response to stress.

  • Gastrointestinal effects: they produce a decrease in gastric secretion, in gastrointestinal motility.

Logically, our body in a moment of stress the least it expects is the entry of food, rather what is sought is to use as much energy in the organs that will ensure our survival in the moment of stress, which can be related to a moment of danger.



Pixabay/ Author: Bessi

  • Visual effects: the pupil dilates, this allows more light to enter our eyes and by logic, produces a better visibility of our environment.
  • Respiratory effects: bronchiodilation occurs, i.e., they expand, allowing a better exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

There are more effects, that in some way we have all lived, just imagine or remember a moment where fear or anger has taken over you, you may have trembling, agitation, you feel that you are capable of anything to stay safe.

These effects are produced by the already mentioned catecholamines, and these are produced in the adrenal gland. In a normal way these are produced, they fulfill their effect to "keep us safe" in a determined moment and then they are metabolized and later eliminated. Generally in a few minutes or hours. But what happens if they remain in our body permanently?



Pixabay/ Author: Alexas_Fotos

These catecholamines are produced in the adrenal glands. These are located above the kidneys. That normally, as I said, increase the concentration at particular times, but it usually happens (fortunately rarely) that a tumor is generated in these, which can produce a large amount of catecholamines and constantly, even multiplying by 20 times or more the concentrations of these components in blood.

This will make people who suffer from it to be in a permanent stress, not because they want it but because it is the same body that is telling them, it is responding to the extremely high concentrations of these hormones.

This is the reason why some studies relate attacks of anger and violence that some people (even cases of homicides) can show in a constant way with the presence of a pheochromocytoma. However, it has been proven that catecholamines do not cross the blood-brain barrier, which protects our nervous system from harmful substances. Therefore, this theory remains in doubt.



Pixabay/ Author: Republica

What is very certain is that it is a rare disease, and can also cause consistent arterial hypertension. The cure is in most cases a laparoscopic surgery that removes the tumor that produces excess catecholamines.

For the diagnosis the first thing to be done are tests where the levels of catecholamines in blood and urine are evaluated, and a very important imaging test that is definitive in the diagnosis is the Positron Emission Tomography, where the presence of the active tumor in the adrenal gland can be corroborated.

I hope this post will be useful not only for you to know about the existence of this disease but also for you to know a little more about this interesting and complex system that our body uses to respond to stressful situations and allow us to live through them.




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6 comments
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Interesting, i have worked with lots of tumor samples, including rare ones, but I never saw one of those! First time reading about it!
thanks
!1UP

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Interesting must be your work, how nice.
The truth is that pheochromocytoma is a fairly rare disease. It is estimated that there is an incidence of between 1 and 2% out of 100,000 inhabitants per year. That is, it is little, but it is a disease that exists, and I found it interesting to share it, it's good to know that now you know about it.
Thank you @gwajnberg

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However, it has been proven that catecholamines do not cross the blood-brain barrier, which protects our nervous system from harmful substances.

Thank you for this most interesting blog. I found especially interesting the line quoted above. We need science (such as offered in your blog) to counteract pseudoscience. Although, pseudoscience can probably inspire some lurid popular movies :)

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