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Doctor insights on: Addison Disease Crisis

Not usually: The leading causes of Addison' disease in the US are: autoimmune; metastatic cancer; bleeding into adrenal glands; infectious infiltration (such as tuberculosis). Only the autoimmune type may possibly run in families, whose members typically have other autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, vitiligo, pernicious anemia, or myasthenia gravis, to name a few. ...Read more

Yes: Addison's disease is quite rare, thought to affect about 40-60 per million people, or 0.004% to 0.006% of the general population. ...Read more

No: It is not an infection caused by a bacteria, virus, fungus. It is a metabolic disease due to unique chemical and genetic issues in the individual person. Not transmissable or contagious. ...Read more

Emergency: Adrenal crisis occurs when there is abrupt loss of adrenal hormones or treatment of addison's disease is suddenly stopped. Symptoms include low blood pressure leading to shock, confusion leading to loss of consciousness, low blood sugar, electrolyte imbalance leading to instability of the heart rhythm, and can result in death. Treatment is required urgently. ...Read more

Life threatening: We're lucky it is uncommon, because untreated addison's disease can be fatal. Most addison's in developed countries is autoimmune, and sometimes associated with other autoimmune diseases (eg. Hashimoto's, type 1 diabetes, etc). ...Read more

Not physically: Addison's is often diagnosed late, after months or years of simply not feeling well. Physical pain is likely to be late from muscle cramps from sodium wasting. But having no energy, swinging moods, nausea, weight loss, and being told you have mental health issues hurts in its own way. ...Read more

Yes it can cause: Lysodren is used in dogs for treatment of Cushing's Syndrome and in humans for cancer of Adrenal and if used without these indications may cause Addisons Disease in Humans and dogs ...Read more

Yes: Yes if corrected.

Distal tubule: In the absence of aldosterone and its like from the adrenal cortex, the proximal tubule has some mechanisms that ordinarily waste sodium and hang onto potassium. This will get you started. ...Read more

Sometimes: Cushing's disease can be cured by pituitary surgery: removing the small benign tumor causing the adrenal to overwork. However pituitary surgery is not 100% effective and some people may need to have the adrenal glands themselves removed. The options for curing cushing's syndrome depend on its cause, as there many potential causes, including cushing's disease. ...Read more

Rarely: If properly diagnosed and treated, good results. If diagnosis of lyme is incorrect, there is damage from that inappropriate treatment and from not making the correct diagnosisl. ...Read more

Not exactly: Addison' s disease is a state of adrenal insufficiency but not vice versa as there are many other causes besides ad ( an autoimmune disease) that can lead to cortisol deficiency state such as tuberculosis of the adrenals, hemorrhage of the adrenals, certain genetic storage syndromes and hypopituitarism. ...Read more

Adrneal failure: Rare but very serious, and often missed for a long time especially if the person is considered to suffer emotional illness. The adrenal cortex fails to make the cortisol that one needs to stay perky; nausea and weight loss are only the beginning. President kennedy suffered from it. Patients need to carry a medical alert and a cortisol needle. ...Read more

Visa versa: The biologic and chemical cahnges in addison's disease can cause anxiety. Consult your endocrinologist office. ...Read more

Lyme disease: There is much speculation, primarily in the lay press about "adrenal exhaustion" due to lyme disease. This seems to be purely theoretical and not based on any firm scientific evidence. The problem is that there is much we do not understand about lyme disease, and it has been the speculative cause of many unexplained illnesses. Stick to "proven" facts, and adrenal insufficiency is not. ...Read more

Yes: Yes it is.

Graves' disease: Because a family history of graves' disease is a known risk factor, there is likely a gene or genes that can make a person more susceptible to the disorder. ...Read more

No: No you cannot. The blood level from topical is very low unless you bathe in it. ...Read more

Adrenal insufficienc: Chronic adrenal insufficiency due to any cause is adrenal disease. If a patient with addison disease is subjected to stress, e.g., infection, surgery trauma etc, it may cause shock i.e. Addisonian crisis. ...Read more

Adrenal insufficienc: Addison's disease is adrenal insufficiency, or lack of adrenal hormones, which can be an acute emergency, but is treatable with cortisone and other medication. It results from the destruction or surgical removal of the adrenal glands (you have two) and was more common when it used to be caused by tuberculosis years ago. ...Read more