Pheochromocytoma-related Headache and Symptoms that Should Not be Overlooked: A Case Report

When a patient complaining of headache comes to the hospital, the focus is usually on checking for neurological disorders. After these are excluded, functional headaches are usually thought of, and it is easy to overlook other causes. In the case presented here, a patient was hospitalized with a severe headache. There were no specific findings in either brain imaging or cerebrospinal fluid. The severe headache persisted, accompanied by excessive sweating. As the cause was unclear, chest and abdomen computed tomography was taken, where an adrenal gland mass was confirmed. With a diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, the patient improved with treatment. This triad of symptoms (headache, sweating, and palpitations) should raise suspicion of pheochromocytoma; however, most patients do not present with all three symptoms. Because of this, if headaches persist without other neurological symptoms, further evaluation should be performed to determine other possible causes such as pheochromocytoma.