Adrenal insufficiency can be primary or secondary: Primary adrenal insufficiency. What causes adrenal insufficiency? Other causes may include: Cancer Fungal infections Tuberculosis infection of the adrenal glands Inherited disorders of the endocrine glands A lack of the hormone ACTH leads to secondary adrenal insufficiency.
Other causes include: Pituitary gland tumors Loss of blood flow to the pituitary Pituitary gland is removed or you have radiation treatment of the pituitary gland Parts of the hypothalamus are removed What are the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency?
Symptoms may include: Weakness Fatigue Dizziness Dark skin Addison's disease only Bluish-black color around the nipples, mouth, rectum, scrotum, or vagina Addison's disease only Weight loss Fluid loss dehydration Lack of appetite Muscle aches Upset stomach nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Low blood pressure Low sugar levels In women, irregular or no menstrual periods If not treated, adrenal insufficiency may lead to: Severe belly abdominal pain Extreme weakness Low blood pressure Kidney failure Shock These symptoms may look like other health problems.
How is adrenal insufficiency diagnosed? Tests that can diagnose adrenal insufficiency include: Blood and urine tests. These can check levels of the adrenal hormones and ACTH.
Imaging tests. These include X-rays, ultrasound, and MRI. How is adrenal insufficiency treated? Your healthcare provider will figure out the best treatment for you based on: Your age, overall health, and past health How sick you are How well you can handle certain medicines, procedures, or therapies How long the condition is expected to last Your opinion or preference You will need to take hormones to replace those that your adrenal glands are not making.
What are the complications of adrenal insufficiency? But if an Addisonian crisis is not treated, it can lead to: Shock Seizures Coma Living with adrenal insufficiency Take your medicine exactly as prescribed. When should I call my healthcare provider? Call your healthcare provider if: You have any kind of illness, especially a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea You become pregnant You need surgery Get medical help right away if you have sudden severe symptoms Addisonian crisis.
You will need to take hormones to replace those that the adrenal glands are not making. High levels in your blood for a long time cause the hypothalamus to make less CRH. Once you stop taking corticosteriods, your adrenal glands may be slow to start working again. To give them time to start making cortisol again, your doctor will gradually reduce your dose over a period of weeks or even months.
Even so, your adrenal glands might not begin to work normally for many months. Your doctor should watch you carefully for symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. You may also develop small areas of darkened skin, or darkened lips or gums. Although these symptoms are not always caused by Addison's disease, you should see a GP so they can be investigated.
The condition 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. Other potential causes include conditions that can damage the adrenal glands, such as tuberculosis TB , although this is uncommon in the UK.
Addison's disease is treated with medication to replace the missing hormones. You'll need to take the medication for the rest of your life. With treatment, symptoms of Addison's disease can largely be controlled.
Most people with the condition have a normal lifespan and are able to live an active life with few limitations. Often, the disease progresses so slowly that symptoms are ignored until a stress, such as illness or injury, occurs and makes symptoms worse.
Signs and symptoms may include:. Sometimes the signs and symptoms of Addison's disease may appear suddenly. Acute adrenal failure addisonian crisis can lead to life-threatening shock. 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.
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