A nurse administers clonidine to a hypertensive patient and then draws blood.The patient's laboratory test results indicate elevated catecholamines levels.Which diagnosis do these findings most support?

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Elevated catecholamine levels can be indicative of a pheochromocytoma, a tumor of the adrenal gland that produces excess catecholamines. Clonidine, a medication used to lower blood pressure, can stimulate the release of catecholamines from the tumor, leading to elevated levels in the blood. Neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma are also tumors that can produce catecholamines, but they are usually found in children and not typically associated with hypertension. Parkinson's disease does not involve elevated catecholamine levels.

A Nurse Administers Clonidine to a Hypertensive Patient and Then