Women are more likely than men to develop Addison's disease. This condition occurs most often in people between the ages of 30 and 50, 2 although it can occur at any age, even in children. Secondary adrenal insufficiencyAdrenal insufficiency, including Addison's disease, is a disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands don't make enough of certain hormones. These include cortisol, sometimes called the “stress hormone,” which is essential for life.https://www.niddk.nih.gov › endocrine-diseases › adrenal-insu...
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of Addison's disease worldwide, but it's rare in the UK. TB is a bacterial infection that mostly affects the lungs but can also spread to other parts of your body. It can cause Addison's disease if it damages your adrenal glands.
Your mucous membranes, adrenal glands and parathyroid glands are commonly affected by this syndrome, though it can affect other types of tissues and organs. People who have the following autoimmune disease are also at higher risk of developing the autoimmune (most common) form of Addison's disease: Type I diabetes.
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Addison's disease is usually the result of a problem with the immune system, which causes it to attack the outer layer of the adrenal gland (the adrenal cortex), disrupting the production of the steroid hormones aldosterone and cortisol.
Cushing's disease.
In direct opposition to Addison's disease, Cushing's is caused by the overproduction of hormones within the adrenal glands. They send too much cortisol into the bloodstream, causing obesity, high blood pressure, excessive facial hair, irregular menstrual cycles, and susceptibility to bruising.
Inheritance. A predisposition to develop autoimmune Addison disease is passed through generations in families, but the inheritance pattern is unknown.
This is called acute adrenal insufficiency, or Addisonian crisis. This can occur when your body is stressed. That can happen for many reasons, such as an illness, fever, surgery, or dehydration.
Different types of adrenal insufficiency have different causes. The most common cause of adrenal insufficiency overall is suddenly stopping corticosteroids after taking them for a long time.
Addison's disease is a rare autoimmune disorder. In the developed world, autoimmune adrenalitis is the commonest cause of primary adrenal insufficiency, where the majority of patients have circulating antibodies against the key steroidogenic enzyme 21-hydroxylase.
See a health care provider if you have common symptoms of Addison's disease, such as: Darkened areas of skin. Extreme loss of body water, also known as dehydration. Severe fatigue.
This is most commonly associated with lung, breast, stomach, or colon cancer; melanoma; and lymphoma.
Diarrhea is less common, but may also occur. Affected individuals may have a poor appetite and unintentional weight loss and may develop progressive fatigue and muscle weakness. Muscle pain (myalgia), muscle spasms and joint pain may also occur. Dehydration can also affect individuals with Addison's disease.
Autoimmune thyroid disease is the most common endocrine comorbidity in autoimmune Addison disease (AAD), but detailed investigations of prevalence and clinical course are lacking.
Addison's disease occurs more frequently in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus as part of the autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes. The diagnosis of Addison's disease is, however, often delayed because the onset of diabetes mellitus usually precedes the diagnosis of Addison's disease.
Adrenal insufficiency can be caused by diseases of the adrenal gland (primary), interference with corticotropin (ACTH) secretion by the pituitary gland (secondary), or interference with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) secretion by the hypothalamus (tertiary).
Risk factors for adrenal crisis include physical stress such as infection, dehydration, trauma, or surgery, adrenal gland or pituitary gland injury, and ending treatment with steroids such as prednisone or hydrocortisone too early.
Addison's disease can be a life-threatening condition, but it is often not diagnosed until weeks or even months after the first vague symptoms present themselves.
Regardless of the specific terminology used, it is clear that some patients with Addison's disease have a disturbance in brain function and may develop a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms as a result.
In its early stages, adrenal insufficiency can be hard to diagnose since symptoms come on slowly. Your health care professional may suspect it after reviewing your medical history and symptoms. The next step is blood testing to see if your cortisol levels are too low and to help find the cause.
It can affect people of any age, although it's most common between the ages of 30 and 50. It's also more common in women than men. Early-stage symptoms of Addison's disease are similar to other more common health conditions, such as depression or flu.
Conclusion. Addison's disease is still a potentially lethal condition, with excess mortality in acute adrenal failure, infection, and sudden death in patients diagnosed at young age. Otherwise, the prognosis is excellent for patients with Addison's disease.