title: Adult respiratory distress syndrome in a pregnant patient with a pheochromocytoma.
abstract: Five weeks after developing spells of shortness of breath, headache, weakness and abdominal pain, a 29-year-old woman, who was in the 36th week of her third pregnancy developed adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although the ARDS resolved after a cesarean section, her infant died at birth. Her "spells" continued until a left pheochromocytoma was diagnosed and resected 2 years later. If there are no other known inciting causes of ARDS in a pregnant patient, a pheochromocytoma should be ruled out with appropriate catecholamine determinations.
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000150:complications*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines