What Is the Prognosis With Adrenal Insufficiency?

When the adrenal glands are operating insufficiently, there is a deficiency in the amount of hormones produced. This can be life-threatening if left untreated, but a person can live a normal life with proper medication.

Long-Term Treatment

• When the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, those hormones, usually cortisol, will need to be replaced with glucocorticoid. A patient will most likely be on medication for the rest of his life.

Emergency Treatment

• Symptoms such as low blood pressure or low blood sugar can be life-threatening and intravenous injections of glucocorticoids (to replace cortisol) and saline solution with dextrose (sugar) are required for improvement. Normal regulation of medication is eventually reached again.

Surgery

• Anyone with adrenal insufficiency must keep doctors aware of his condition for future medical procedures, such as surgery. Special treatments of glucocorticoids and saline are required before, during and after surgery using general anesthesia.

Pregnancy

• A pregnant woman with adrenal insufficiency will need to switch to intravenous injections of hormones if nausea and vomiting occur. Also, during delivery, she will need the same treatment as someone going through surgery.

Consideration

• A person with adrenal insufficiency should carry an identification card explaining the condition in case of an emergency. It is important for health care professionals to be aware in case the patient is unresponsive.