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Jeffrey S. Hyams, MD; Alan M. Leichtner, MD; Robert G. Breiner, PhD; Dennis W. Hill, PhD; Robert B. McComb, PhD; William M. Manger, PhD

JAMA. 1985;253(11):1609-1610.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

THE SYMPATHOMIMETIC compound phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride is found in a variety of easily accessible medications including decongestants, anorectics, and stimulants. Serious complications associated with the use of phenylpropanolamine have been described, including hypertension,^1-4 headaches,^1-4 psychosis,^5,6 seizures,^1,2 and fatal cerebrovascular accidents.³ We recently cared for a 16-year-old girl with a history of recurrent episodes of paroxysmal hypertension and seizures in whom two episodes of cardiac arrest occurred. Her clinical constellation prompted a lengthy and expensive evaluation for pheochromocytoma before surreptitious ingestion of phenylpropanolamine was discovered. Increasing use of phenylpropanolamine-containing medications may make these complications more frequent.

Report of a Case

A 16-year-old girl was hospitalized for evaluation of paroxysmal hypertension. Four months prior to admission she noted the onset of intermittent episodes of headache, diaphoresis, nausea, pallor, abdominal pain, nervousness, and fatigue. These episodes continued until the day of admission, when she was witnessed having a brief . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Pediatrics (Drs Hyams and Leichtner) and Pathology (Drs Breiner and McComb), Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn; the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs (Dr Hill); and the Department of Medicine, New York University, New York (Dr Manger).

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06115-0729 (Dr Hyams).

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