Table of Contents
What is Addisons Disease?
How does a person get Addison’s disease?
Addison’s disease can develop if your immune system attacks your adrenal glands and severely damages your adrenal cortex. When 90% of the adrenal cortex is destroyed, your adrenal glands will not be able to produce enough of the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
What were your first symptoms of Addison’s disease?
Initial symptoms of Addison’s disease can include:
- fatigue (lack of energy or motivation)
- lethargy (abnormal drowsiness or tiredness)
- muscle weakness.
- low mood (mild depression) or irritability.
- loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss.
- the need to urinate frequently.
- increased thirst.
- craving for salty foods.
What happens when you have Addisons disease?
People who have a condition called Addison’s disease or who have damaged adrenal glands may not be able to produce enough cortisol. Low levels of cortisol can cause weakness, fatigue, and low blood pressure.
Does Addisons disease go away?
Addison’s disease cannot be cured but can be significantly improved with hormone replacement therapy and the avoidance of common triggers. If treated properly, Addison’s disease can be brought under control and you can be better assured of living a long and healthy life.
What does your skin look like with Addison’s disease?
Another common initial symptom of Addison’s disease is the development of patches of skin that are darker than the surrounding skin (hyperpigmentation). This discoloration most commonly occurs near scars, by skin creases such as the knuckles, and on the mucous membranes such as the gums.
What foods should you avoid with Addison’s disease?
Foods to avoid if you have Addison’s disease
- Coffee.
- Green tea.
- Black tea.
- Too much alcohol.
- Too many bananas.
- Too many oranges.
- Salt substitutes.
What is the life expectancy of someone with Addison’s disease?
A study held in 2009 states that the average life expectancy of women with Addison disease is 75.7 years and men with Addison disease is 64.8 years, which is 3.2 and 11.2 years less than the respective life expectancy in otherwise normal women and men.
Who is at risk for Addison’s disease?
Women are more likely than men to develop Addison’s disease. This condition occurs most often in people between the ages of 30 and 50, 2 although it can occur at any age, even in children. Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs in people with certain conditions that affect the pituitary.
Can stress cause Addison’s disease?
This is called acute adrenal insufficiency, or Addisonian crisis. This can occur when your body is stressed. That can happen for many reasons, such as an illness, fever, surgery, or dehydration.
Can Addison’s disease affect your eyes?
Ocular Features: Virtually all patients have visual symptoms. Loss of acuity, hemianopia, visual agnosia, optic atrophy, and strabismus are the most common features.
Can you gain weight with Addison’s disease?
One of the most common signs of this disorder is the feeling of fatigue and sluggishness. However, it is common that people with this disorder experience weight gain, while patients with Addison’s disease will lose weight due to the vomiting and anorexia.
What vitamins help with Addison’s disease?
High-dose vitamin D in Addison’s disease regulates T-cells and monocytes: A pilot trial. Nutrition.
Does Addison’s disease affect the brain?
In approximately half of people with this disorder, the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain. It also involves the adrenal glands and testicles in the majority of the patients. Addison’s disease only (about 10% of all cases)occurs in adults and only the adrenal glands are affected.
At what age is Addison’s disease usually diagnosed?
It can affect people of any age, although it’s most common between the ages of 30 and 50. It’s also more common in women than men.
Where do you feel adrenal pain?
Fewer than 30% of adrenocortical cancers are confined to the adrenal gland at the time of diagnosis. The most common symptom reported by patients with adrenocortical cancer is pain in the back or side (called the flank).
