Diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma

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Abstract
To the Editor: The importance of the prevalence of the disease was not mentioned in the review of pheochromocytoma by Bravo and Gifford (Nov. 15 issue).1 Although the prevalence of hypertension is high (15 to 20 per cent of the population),2 the prevalence of pheochromocytoma in the Mayo Clinic series of hypertensive patients was only 0.04 per cent.3 Selection of hypertensive patients for a pheochromocytoma workup is therefore critical to increase the likelihood of disease in the group of patients studied. If all hypertensive patients were screened with a test that was 98 per cent specific and 100 per cent . . .