Journal of Hypertension: Open Access

Sudden Onset of Pyrexia and Severe Blood Pressure Elevation Due to IL-6 Production by Pheochromocytoma

Abstract

Takashi Ando, Satoshi Morimoto, Yuki Mizuguchi, Akimi Okamoto, Masaki Ryuzaki, Yoichi Oshima, Daisuke Watanabe, Fumiko Kawakami-Mori, Masami Ono, Tatsuo Sawada, Sho Ono, Takumi Igarashi, Hitoshi Kaya and Atsuhiro Ichihara

We report a case of pheochromocytoma presenting with a sudden change in clinical manifestation. The change in the serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and histological examination indicated that this clinical presentation was caused by IL-6 elevation secondary to pheochromocytoma. This rare tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin, and prompt and appropriate administration of an alpha-1 blocker is highly recommended, especially for patients with large pheochromocytomas.