Addison's Disease: Understanding Adrenal Gland Destruction & Primary Insufficiency

The cellular destruction of the adrenal glands is commonly referred to as Addison's disease or primary adrenal insufficiency. The cellular destruction inhibits the gland from producing adrenal hormones in sufficient amounts.

Causes

• Cellular damage to the adrenal gland, according to National Institute of Health (NIH), can be caused by a faulty immune response that attacks the gland by mistake. Infection, tumors or the use of blood thinning medications are also causes.

Symptoms

• The cellular destruction of the adrenal gland has a number of symptoms including skin discoloration, weight loss, muscle pain, fatigue and depression.

Hormones

• The adrenal glands produce several hormones including cortisol, which the body uses to manage sugar and stress response; aldosterone; and sex hormones for both men and women. Cellular adrenal destruction severely limits these hormones.

Diagnosis

• The Mayo Clinic reports that diagnosis of Addison's and, by proxy, adrenal damage typically involves testing the levels of cortisol, sodium and potassium in the blood. Other tests include abdominal imaging scans with x-rays or computerized tomography and a ACTH injection which induces cortisol production.

Treatment

• The primary treatment for Addison's is to replace the missing hormones with injections of cortisone and fludrocortisone. The NIH notes that most patients are required to use these replacements indefinitely.