Question 1

can you please tell me effects or signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Many: Muscle/joint pain, weakness, low blood pressure, salt cravings, loss of appetite, fatigue weight loss, irritability and depression are common signs of this condition, with fatigue usually being one of the earliest and most common.

Question 2

is rapid heart rate and low blood pressure with the shakes a sign of adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

No: Not a specific group of symptoms for insufficiency.

Question 3

what is adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Low adrenal function: The adrenal glands make a number of different hormones, most importantly cortisol.  When a person's adrenals cannot make normal amounts of cortisol, they are diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, or failure.  This can be due to a problem in the adrenals (infection, tumor, bleeding, auto-immune destruction) or in the pituitary or parts of the brain that control the adrenals.

Question 4

what causes adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Multiple causes: Infections of the gland by bacteria, including meningococcus and tb, metastatic tumors and primary tumors of adrenals, metabolic disorders, e.g., congenital adrenal hyperplasia, lack of pituitary stimulation, amyloid infiltration and sudden stoppage of steroid treatment etc.

Question 5

is adrenal insufficiency hereditary?

Accepted Answer

It can be.: One cause of adrenal insufficiency, addison's disease, is an auto-immune disorder.  The immune system mistakenly makes antibodies targeting one or more proteins in the adrenal cortex, and winds up destroying the adrenal cortex, so that the adrenals can no longer make cortisol, or other hormones.  As is true for most auto-immune disorders, a tendency to develop addison's can run in families.

Question 6

how is adrenal insufficiency treated?

Accepted Answer

HRT: Hormone replacement: Hydrocortisone (some use Prednisone or dexamethasone) possibly Fludrocortisone in addition. These are given orally to replace the cortisol and aldosterone no longer made in sufficient amounts.

Question 7

what exactly is adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Adrenal cortex loss: Hi. Adrenal deficiency refers to Addison's disease, primary adrenal cortical failure, where the body is deficient in two vital adrenal cortical steroid hormones, cortisol and aldosterone. Central/pituitary adrenal insufficiency is deficient only in cortisol (not aldosterone). Cortisol is a vital "stress" hormone, and is necessary for life in the long run and the acute physiologic stress setting.

Question 8

how do you treat adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Meds: It depends on where the problem is.  If the adrenal insufficiency is caused by a pituitary dysfunction, then the treatment is steroid (hydrocortisone, prednisone...)  if the problem is at the adrenals, then you will need both steroids and a mineralcorticoid (florinef).

Question 9

what are the tests for adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

Primary vs secondary: The fault may lie in the pituitary which may produce too little acth.  The adrenal responds normally to acth stimulation.  If the gland is defective, there is impaired response to acth.  In both there are low levels of corticosteroids in blood and urine, and similar electrolyte disturbances, e.G, high potassium.

Question 10

what sort of problem is adrenal insufficiency?

Accepted Answer

No stress hormones: Can be due to autoimmune problems, infections, e.g. Tb, hiv, other, etc.  Decreased production of stress hormones, can lead to fatigue, weight loss, nausea, blood pressure drops, menstrual changes, excess skin pigmentation and other symptoms.  Can be a real problem if untreated and faced with acute stress like surgery or infection.

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Adrenal insufficiency signs

A member asked:

Can you please tell me effects or signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

Is rapid heart rate and low blood pressure with the shakes a sign of adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

What is adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

What causes adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

Is adrenal insufficiency hereditary?

A member asked:

How is adrenal insufficiency treated?

A member asked:

What exactly is adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

How do you treat adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

What are the tests for adrenal insufficiency?

A member asked:

What sort of problem is adrenal insufficiency?

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