The most common symptoms are fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Adrenal insufficiencyAdrenal insufficiency is a disorder that occurs when the adrenal glands don't make enough of certain hormones. The adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys. Adrenal insufficiency can be primary, secondary, or tertiary. Primary adrenal insufficiency is often called Addison's disease.https://www.niddk.nih.gov › definition-facts
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.
Addison's disease symptoms usually happen slowly, often over months. The disease can move so slowly that people who have it may ignore the symptoms at first.
Too little cortisol may be due to a problem in the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland (Addison's disease). The onset of symptoms is often very gradual. Symptoms may include fatigue, dizziness (especially upon standing), weight loss, muscle weakness, mood changes and the darkening of regions of the skin.
Other causes
Other possible causes of Addison's disease include: infections – such as those linked to AIDS, or fungal infections. a haemorrhage – very heavy bleeding into the adrenal glands, sometimes associated with meningitis or other types of severe sepsis.
If Addison's disease is suspected, blood tests will be carried out to measure the levels of sodium, potassium and cortisol in your body. A low sodium, high potassium or low cortisol level may indicate Addison's disease.
Results: The results show that patients with Addison's disease have not only increased levels of anxiety and fear, and over-reaction to stimuli, but decreased performance efficiency and need for social contact as well.
Symptoms said to be due to adrenal fatigue include tiredness, trouble falling asleep at night or waking up in the morning, salt and sugar craving, and needing stimulants like caffeine to get through the day. These symptoms are common and non-specific, meaning they can be found in many diseases.
Low levels of cortisol can cause weakness, fatigue, and low blood pressure. You may have more symptoms if you have untreated Addison's disease or damaged adrenal glands due to severe stress, such as from a car accident or an infection. These symptoms include sudden dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.
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.
Symptoms tend to come and go and may include abdominal pain, dizziness, fatigue, weight loss, salt craving, and the darkening of the skin. 1 During periods of extreme stress or poor health, Addison's disease can trigger a rapid drop in cortisol levels and a potentially life-threatening event known as an adrenal crisis.
Addison disease is a lifelong condition that can be treated successfully with the replacement of steroid hormones. People with Addison disease can have a normal life span because cases of Addison disease may go undiagnosed, and it is difficult to determine its true frequency in the general population.
Ocular Features: Virtually all patients have visual symptoms. Loss of acuity, hemianopia, visual agnosia, optic atrophy, and strabismus are the most common features.
Autoimmune Addison disease affects the function of the adrenal glands, which are small hormone-producing glands located on top of each kidney. It is classified as an autoimmune disorder because it results from a malfunctioning immune system that attacks the adrenal glands.
Cortisol is essential for life. Acute adrenal crisis is a medical emergency caused by a lack of cortisol. Patients may experience lightheadedness or dizziness, weakness, sweating, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, or even loss of consciousness.
When adrenal function is low, such as during adrenal fatigue, the low cortisol level is insufficient to deal with inflammation in the body. Further, with adrenal fatigue, arthritic joint pain seems more intense. Use of corticosteroids (synthetic cortisol) to reduce arthritis pain should be avoided.
Addison's disease is a rare chronic condition in which your adrenal glands don't produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. It's most often caused by an autoimmune attack. It's treatable with medication.
As an adrenal cancer grows, it presses on nearby organs and tissues. This may cause pain near the tumor, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, or trouble eating because of a feeling of filling up easily.
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.
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.
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 insufficiency occurs in people with certain conditions that affect the pituitary.
If you or someone you know with Addison's disease is having an adrenal crisis, they will need a hydrocortisone injection immediately, either injected by themselves or by a person who is with them. Then call 999 for an ambulance, saying it's an "adrenal crisis" or "Addisonian crisis".