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What Is Human Addison Disease?

Addison's disease is a human adrenal or hormonal disorder which results in the glands not producing enough hormones. Addison's disease causes adrenal glands to be damaged and incapable of producing hormone cortisol and adolsterone.

  1. Hormones

    • Cortisol affects almost all organs and tissues in the body and is essential to the body's stress response. Cortisol can help maintain blood pressure, cardiovascular function, the immune system, glucose levels, and metabolism. Adolsterone is produced by the adrenal glands and maintains blood pressure, as well as sodium and water in the body. Adolsterone helps the kidneys retain sodium and excrete potassium, as the kidneys change the blood volume and pressure.

    Symptoms

    • Symptoms of Addison's or adrenal insufficiency include fatigue, muscle weakness, weight loss, and changes in appetite. Additional symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, changes in blood pressure, irritability, depression, cravings, low blood glucose levels, sweating, menstrual periods, and headaches.

    Causes

    • Addison's disease is often caused by autoimmune disorders and the destruction of the adrenal cortex by the immune system. Tuberculosis is an infection that destroys the adrenal glands. Other causes of Addison's include chronic fungal infections, cancer cells, protein build-up, surgical removal of adrenals, AIDS, genetic defects, and bleeding of the adrenal glands.

    Diagnosis

    • Adrenal insufficiency can be hard to diagnose and is confirmed through lab tests. These tests determine the levels of cortisol in the body. X-rays may be taken of the adrenal and pituitary glands to see if that is part of the cause of Addison's disease.

    Treatment

    • Treatment for Addison's involves taking hormones to replace those that are not in the body in sufficient amounts.

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