A 66-year-old Japanese woman was urgently referred to our hospital. Two days prior to admission, her general practitioner began to administer
prednisolone for treatment of a diagnosis of
polymyalgia rheumatica. At the time of admission, laboratory results indicated multiorgan failure with
rhabdomyolysis. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a
tumor in the right adrenal gland. On the same day, we measured serum and urine cathecholamines, which were markedly elevated. Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging revealed an adrenal mass and metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy showed labeling of the
tumor. Then, the patient underwent surgical resection of the
tumor via laparoscopy. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of
pheochromocytoma. One week after the operation, serum and urinary
catecholamine levels returned to normal. The patient was discharged 10 days after the operation, and has remained stable at home. This report indicates that
steroid should be avoided if possible in patients with
pheochromocytoma. Furthermore,
pheochromocytoma should be recalled as a differential diagnosis whenever patients take a sudden turn for the worse, or have acute uncontrollable
hypertension following
steroid administration and/or whenever patients present with unexplained
rhabdomyolysis.