For the study, researchers examined 43 patients under the age of 18 with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas, rare tumors that secrete hormones and stimulate the central nervous system. Nine of the patients had been diagnosed with ADHD prior to the identification of cancer. Four those diagnosed with ADHD were administered stimulants (amphetamine, dextroamphetamine or methylphenidate) to treat symptoms of the behavioral disorder. These medications caused headaches, excessive sweating and hypertension in some of the patients. After the extraction of tumors, three of the nine kids no longer exhibited symptoms associated with ADHD.
The study’s authors write, “Symptoms of anxiety and difficulty in concentration in these patients may have been related to their underlying PHEO/PGL and were not recognized as part of the constellation of symptoms in a child with PHEO/PGL. In pediatric patients with hypertension and ADHD symptomatology, an evaluation to rule out PHEO/PGL is warranted prior to treatment with stimulant medications.”
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