The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are non-specific. They often come on gradually, first appearing during times of stress and then more often over weeks to months.
Such symptoms include:. Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system attacks your own cells and organs. This is most common in middle-aged women. Anything that affects your pituitary gland can result in fewer pituitary hormones reaching your adrenal glands to tell them to produce hormones. This can include pituitary tumours, surgical removal or damage to your pituitary gland, damage to the blood supply and certain medicines.
A temporary form of secondary adrenal insufficiency can occur when someone has been on corticosteroids, such as Prednisone , for weeks or months to treat inflammatory illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and ulcerative colitis. Taking corticosteroids for a long time means your adrenal glands produce fewer hormones. When the corticosteroid medicines are stopped, your adrenal glands may be slow to restart. Prescription corticosteroid doses are reduced gradually over a period of weeks or months to prevent this happening.
It can be hard to diagnose adrenal insufficiency, especially when the disease is still in its early stages. Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history.
You will also need an exam. Tests that can diagnose adrenal insufficiency include:. You will need to take hormones to replace those that your adrenal glands are not making. That mainly means cortisol. But if you have Addison's disease, you may need to take aldosterone as well.
Addison's disease can be deadly. Treatment often starts with IV intravenous fluids and medicines called corticosteroids. You may take these medicines by mouth or by IV. You may have to take them for the rest of your life. You may also need to take other medicines fludrocortisones. These can help keep your body's sodium and potassium levels normal.
You may have sudden severe symptoms. 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. You may also have a crisis if you stop taking your steroids or lower the amount of your steroids suddenly. Seek emergency medical treatment if you experience the following signs and symptoms:. Perched atop each of your kidneys, your adrenal glands produce hormones that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure and other essential functions. Addison's disease is caused by damage to your adrenal glands, resulting in not enough of the hormone cortisol and, often, not enough aldosterone as well.
Your adrenal glands are part of your endocrine system. They produce hormones that give instructions to virtually every organ and tissue in your body. Your adrenal glands are composed of two sections. The interior medulla produces adrenaline-like hormones. The outer layer cortex produces a group of hormones called corticosteroids. Corticosteroids include:. When the cortex is damaged and doesn't produce enough adrenocortical hormones, the condition is called primary adrenal insufficiency.
This is most commonly the result of the body attacking itself autoimmune disease. For unknown reasons, your immune system views the adrenal cortex as foreign, something to attack and destroy. People with Addison's disease are more likely than others to have another autoimmune disease as well. The pituitary gland makes a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH. ACTH in turn stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce its hormones.
Benign pituitary tumors, inflammation and prior pituitary surgery are common causes of not producing enough pituitary hormone. Too little ACTH can lead to too little of the glucocorticoids and androgens normally produced by your adrenal glands, even though your adrenal glands themselves aren't damaged. This is called secondary adrenal insufficiency. If left untreated, it can be fatal.
If you or someone you know has Addison's disease and is experiencing severe symptoms, dial for an ambulance. This helps scientists look for better ways to prevent and treat this condition. You can opt out of the register at any time. Find out more about the register. Page last reviewed: 14 June Next review due: 14 June Symptoms of Addison's disease Early-stage symptoms of Addison's disease are similar to other more common health conditions, such as depression or flu.
You may experience: lack of energy or motivation fatigue muscle weakness low mood loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss increased thirst Over time, these problems may become more severe and you may experience further symptoms, such as dizziness, fainting , cramps and exhaustion.
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