Dr. Esteban Kosak 
Addison disease is a classic term doctors use for primary adrenal insufficiency. The name involves manifestations or symptoms occurring because of a chronic or long-lasting decrease in the blood’s steroid hormone levels, which may result in life-threatening situations.
The adrenal glands have their location on top of the kidneys, each of them, which means there are two. This gland’s function is to produce essential hormones like cortisol, aldosterone, and catecholamines.
The former two play essential roles in the body, such as regulating metabolism and blood pressure, good response to stressful stimuli, diminish immune responses when necessary, and so on. Besides, this gland’s ability to secrete these hormones, particularly cortisol, when there is stress in the body, got the name for them of “stress hormones.”
However, this gland does not command itself. There is an axis or loop that controls the gland’s function. Firstly, the hypothalamus secretes the Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) that activates the hypophysis gland. When this latter gland becomes active, it discharges Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) that activates the adrenal gland to secrete more of its hormones. These two, the hypothalamus and hypophysis, are within the brain, and when there is too much cortisol in the blood. They become less active; hence, that is how the loops work.
Addison disease refers explicitly to an adrenal gland dysfunction because of the gland itself, which is the same as primary adrenal insufficiency. On the other hand, the same adrenal gland could not be functioning correctly because of an impairment in the loop, either in the pituitary or hypothalamus. This latter situation receives the name of Secondary adrenal insufficiency or ACTH deficiency. Notably, both deficiencies will decrease the steroid hormones so that they will have similar manifestations.
When there is a drop in the steroid hormones, the body will stop functioning correctly. Besides, it could prompt complications in the long-run.
Several possible causes exist either for Addison’s disease and secondary adrenal insufficiency. The most frequent for the former is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body with harmful proteins starts attacking the gland, impairing its function.
Conversely, for secondary adrenal insufficiency, there are two major causes. It is common for doctors to cause this disease by giving steroid hormones for other diseases that require them like autoimmune conditions. Also, there are tumors and other diseases that directly affect the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus.
It does not matter what the source of this condition is. The symptoms are overall the same, with some exceptions. This disease mostly attacks adults, although it could affect children too. This is because there are so many possible situations that can impair the production of steroid hormones, and children do not escape from that reality.
This Addison Disease Symptoms Checker gathers the most important signs, symptoms, and risk factors for this disease.
The tool has the most important questions to identify signs, symptoms, and risk factors for steroid hormone deficiency. Therefore, it will aim to identify patients with either primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency.
Keep in mind that for diagnosing this disease, a doctor must run several tests. Not only that, for differentiating between the two types, either primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency. A doctor must ask for special tests too. Hence, this tool does not represent a diagnosis or whatsoever.
According to symptoms and risk factors, this tool truly represents an estimation that somebody’s ailment is because of adrenal insufficiency. Using this tool is free and would only take a few minutes. Avoid possible harmful complications as acute adrenal insufficiency is by using this tool and getting to know if you or somebody you know has this condition.
- Question of
Do you are a female?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you are between thirty and fifty years old?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Did you take steroids for more than fourteen days in the last ten years? (Steroids include Prednisolone, Betamethasone, Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone, or Methylprednisolone)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have taken corticosteroid drugs for more than four weeks? (Steroids include Prednisolone, Betamethasone, Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone, or Methylprednisolone)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, or systemic vasculitis?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with HIV infection, and you do not take medication for it? Or you have more than two years without medical check-ups?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Hashimoto thyroiditis, Graves disease, Vitiligo, Pernicious anemia, and/or Myasthenia gravis?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have used Ketoconazole within the last six months?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Asthma?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Has your skin become darker (As in the photo below), especially in areas of your body that are exposed to the sun as knuckles, elbows, knees? Or in mucous membranes as inside your mouth, for example?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month feeling weak all the time?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month with fatigue all the time?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month with a poor appetite, and you are losing weight?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month with nausea and vomiting occasionally?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Asthma?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you feel dizzy every time you stand up very quickly to the point where you think you are about to faint?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month with muscle aches that come and go?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month with joint pain? (The joints are knees, ankles, elbows, hip, and so on)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one month experiencing low sexual desire for sexual intercourse?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
If female, do you have more than one month without menstrual bleeding? (If male, just answer no)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Asthma?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have more than one-month experiencing abdominal pain?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do these symptoms worsen in specific situations, such as infections (fever), stress, or emotional agitations?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you feel the need to consume food high in salt (salty food) many times more than often?
- Yes
- No
Comments
Loading…