title: Changes in visceral and subcutaneous fat mass in patients with pheochromocytoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overproduction of catecholamine induces not only hypertension but also glucose intolerance and hyperlipidemia. However, little is known about its effect on visceral and subcutaneous fat.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to investigate changes of metabolic factors including visceral and subcutaneous fat areas in patients with pheochromocytoma (Pheo).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional and longitudinal follow-up study of cases collected from Gunma University Hospital between 2002 and 2013. Forty-two patients with Pheo and 23 with non-functioning adrenal adenoma (NFA) were analyzed before and after adrenalectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate logistic-regression analysis adjusted by age and gender revealed that glucose intolerance was more common in patients with Pheo than in patients with NFA (21/42, 51% vs. 4/23, 17%, p<0.05). Abdominal visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were significantly lower in patients with Pheo than in those with NFA (80.2±38.7 vs. 124.3±61.8cm(2), p<0.05; 114.6±58.9 vs. 164.3±40.3cm(2), p<0.05, respectively). Significant correlations were observed between fractionated urine noradrenaline level and serum HDL-cholesterol level (r = 0.36, p<0.05), urine normetanephrine level and tumor size (r=0.57, p<0.01), and urine adrenaline level and systolic blood pressure (r=0.35, p<0.05) in Pheo. However, there were no significant correlations between adrenaline and noradrenaline levels and other parameters, including serum LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and HbA1c. Furthermore, both VFA and SFA, body weight, and BMI were significantly increased, and serum HbA1c as well as HDL-cholesterol levels were decreased after adrenalectomy in Pheo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest for the first time that catecholamines might regulate the serum HDL-cholesterol level and both abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat mass in men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan. Electronic address: ynihei@gunma-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsurou
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Koshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sapkota
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Eijiro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D006728:Hormones
keywords: Catecholamines; Glucose intolerance; Pheochromocytoma; Weight loss