Urinary catecholamine levels in children with and without a history of dentofacial injuries

Abstract OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE Paragangliomas of the thoracic spine are rare. Previously described cases involved nonfunctioning tumors. This report documents the diagnosis and surgical treatment for a patient who presented with a functioning thoracic paraganglioma. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 53-year-old woman presented with a 10-month history of headaches, facial flushing, and palpitations associated with hypertension. Urinary catecholamine levels were markedly elevated. Magnetic resonance imaging and m-[123I]iodobenzylguanidine scans demonstrated an extradural tumor located within the T12 vertebra, with a significant paraspinal component. The neurological examination revealed mild hypesthesia in the right T12 dermatome. INTERVENTION The patient underwent resection of the tumor after α-adrenergic receptor blockade. Grossly complete excision was achieved without neurological complications. Postoperatively, the patient was normotensive and exhibited catecholamine levels within the normal range. CONCLUSION Functioning paragangliomas of the thoracic spine are rare lesions that are difficult to treat. Successful treatment requires careful surgical planning and expert pharmacological manipulation.

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Elevated Catecholamine Levels and Abnormal Hypoxic Arousal in Apnea of Infancy

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.79.2.269 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 269-274

Author(s):

Antonio M. Rodriguez ◽

David Warburton ◽

Thomas G. Keens

Keyword(s):

Quiet Sleep ◽

History Of ◽

Arousal Response ◽

Catecholamine Levels

Arousal from quiet sleep in response to a hypoxic challenge fails to occur in many patients with apnea of infancy. It was hypothesized that catecholamine-mediated responses might be involved in the depressed hypoxic arousal response in apnea of infancy and that these differences would be reflected in serum catecholamine concentrations. Fifteen infants with a median age of 5.5 months and a history of unexplained apnea during sleep were studied. Two hypoxic challenges (PiO2, 80 mm Hg) were given for three minutes or until arousal from quiet sleep occurred. Of the 15 patients with apnea of infancy 11 (73%) did not arouse to hypoxia. These infants had serum epinephrine levels that were elevated 4.1-fold while awake (P < .05), 3.4-fold during quiet sleep (P < .02), and 3.5-fold during hypoxia (P < .05). They also had serum norepinephrine levels that were elevated threefold while awake (P < .05), 5.3-fold during quiet sleep (P < .001), 3.2-fold during hypoxia (P < .02), and 12-fold during recovery from hypoxia (P < .001) in comparison with the corresponding levels in the four (23%) infants who aroused normally to hypoxia. It is speculated that elevated circulating catecholarnines are associated with abnormal hypoxic arousal responses in children with apnea of infancy.

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Hypertension in Children with Neurogenic Tumors

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.71.6.947 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 71 (6) ◽

pp. 947-951

Author(s):

Mark E. Weinblatt ◽

Margaret A. Heisel ◽

Stuart E. Siegel

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Normal Values ◽

Antihypertensive Agents ◽

Pressure Control ◽

Urinary Catecholamine ◽

Antitumor Therapy ◽

Tumor Excision ◽

Neurogenic Tumors ◽

Hypertension In Children ◽

Catecholamine Levels

Fifty-nine children with neurogenic tumors were examined for the presence of hypertension. Eleven of the 59 (19%) were found to have elevated blood pressure levels at the time of diagnosis or with progression of their disease. Several antihypertensive agents produced poor or only partial pressure control. All blood pressure levels returned to normal values after tumor excision or administration of effective antitumor therapy. There was no correlation of hypertension with urinary catecholamine levels. The etiologies of hypertension in children with neurogenic tumors are discussed.

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Urinary Catecholamine Levels and Response to Group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in Depression

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465810000093 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 479-483 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tian P. S. Oei ◽

Genevieve A. Dingle ◽

Molly McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy ◽

Biological Marker ◽

Automatic Thoughts ◽

Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Urinary Catecholamine ◽

Behaviour Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behaviour ◽

Catecholamine Levels

Aim: The aim was to investigate whether high catecholamine (CA) excreters would respond less well to a group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) treatment for depression than others. Method: A sample of 70 adults with depression symptoms participated in a 12-week course of group CBT. Participants’ 24 hour urinary catecholamine levels at pre-therapy and post-therapy were used to classify them as High (N = 10); Low (N = 33) or Mixed (N = 27) according to a cut-off one standard deviation above a published mean for healthy adults. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and cognitions questionnaire (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire; Beck Hopelessness Scale and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale) were used. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA analyses showed an equal rate of mood improvement in all three groups over the course of CBT, despite the fact that the High excreters were on average more depressed throughout the study. Changes in depression symptoms were mirrored by improvements in cognitive measures in the three catecholamine groups. Conclusion: This study indicates that adults showing a biological marker of depression (elevated catecholamine levels) are equally able to benefit from CBT treatment as adults without this marker.

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