Does your blood pressure shoot up suddenly

A sudden spike in blood pressure may be dangerous, and one cause is a small growth above your kidney. It is called a pheochromocytoma and must be surgically removed for a complete cure.

What is a pheochromocytoma

It is a tumour of the adrenal gland. This gland is located above each kidney. The tumor is usually benign but rarely may be malignant.

Why High BP?

The tumor releases excess adrenaline in your blood. The normal action of adrenaline is to raise BP. But due to excess adrenaline released by the tumor the adrenaline spikes suddenly and so does your BP.

BP Range

In pheochromocytoma the BP can go as high as 180/100 or even higher.

How to diagnose it?

Pheochromocytoma is diagnosed by a simple urine test.

Procedure

Collect your urine sample in a can provided by the lab over 24 hours (an entire day). The lab will analyze the sample for presence of VMA(Vaniyll Mandelic Acid). VMA Is present in increased amounts in pheochromocytoma

Radiology

If the growth is very large, it may also be seen on a CT scan of the abdomen.

How to treat it?

The best treatment is to surgically remove the tumor. Until surgery the spikes in blood pressure should be controlled by BP lowering medicines.

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