What is adrenal insufficiency?

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.

Adrenal insufficienc: Adrenal insufficiency occurs when there is not enough cortisol produced by the adrenal glands. This can occur either from damage to the adrenal glands or the pituitary gland in the brain. Symptoms include weakness, tiredness, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiovascular collapse, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea among other things.