Let's Talk Addison's Disease

We have already started the month of December, the last of this 2022, I hope that for all of you this has been a good year, that your health is maintained and that you can continue to be healthy for the rest of your lives. This month tends to be stressful for many people, due to the fact of having lost family members, friends, and I am not only referring to physical stress but also to emotional stress, which finally ends up affecting the physical as well.

Speaking of stress specifically, recently in the post Pheochromocytoma, a very particular tumor I shared information of that -fortunately- very strange tumor that affects the adrenal gland, and how it can affect the behavior of the people who suffer from it as a consequence of an excess secretion of the so-called stress hormones that are produced there.

There is also a disease that is rather the opposite, it causes an insufficient production of these hormones and obviously has its effect, this disease is called Addison's disease, I know you will be interested to know what it is, read on to the end and find out about it.

As a review, remember that the adrenal glands, as their name suggests, are located above the kidneys, and have a very important endocrine function. They perform this function through the production of catecholamines, i.e. Adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine.

These substances are the ones that, when released into the bloodstream, will produce that adaptation of the whole body to stressful situations, to be able to react appropriately, that is, increasing blood flow to the whole body to receive glucose and oxygen and to be able to produce energy, all this by increasing the heart rate.

It will also dilate the pupils to be able to see better, among many other things that I have detailed in this post.

They are also very important when the body faces an infectious process, as it allows the activation of mechanisms that defend us from these complicated infections. They help maintain stable blood pressure, help us stay alert, awake, in general they have an impact on the whole body, which is why they are vital.

Once understood in a general way the functions that the adrenal gland has, and as we saw in the post to which I have referred the consequences that can have the excess of hormones, also the lack of these can have a great implication in the behavior and health of the individual.

This is what causes Addison's disease, which consists of a dysfunction of the adrenal gland, which ends up producing little of these hormones so important for our body. This dysfunction can have several causes, and one of the reasons why it is generated is an autoimmune problem. That is, the same cells that are in charge of defending us from infections, from pathogenic agents, end up not recognizing the glandular tissue as their own and attack it, destroying it.

By destroying it, logically the capacity to produce hormones is scarce or null. Another possible cause is a tumor that affects the glands and makes it impossible to produce hormones. But What happens when these hormones are insufficient?

This is the point at which what is called Adrenal Insufficiency is produced, the expression of which is Addison's disease, and the way in which it expresses itself I will describe below

Pixabay/ Author: PublicDomainPictures

• Extreme fatigue: it can be said that this is the main symptom, which occurs in the first instance, since the amount of circulating hormones is insufficient to maintain alertness.
• Weight loss.
• Hypotension, which can even lead to fainting. And it is a big problem that this sign can cause, since it makes the weakness even greater.
• It also produces hypoglycemia, this is a particularly complex condition, because it affects the whole body, especially the brain and heart, organs that are highly dependent on glucose for energy production.
• There may be depression, an emotional disturbance with a tendency to sadness, which by itself represents a situation of care.
• In extreme cases, as a result of the aforementioned, disorientation, delirium, among other affectations of the state of consciousness can be seen.
• And as a final result, if it is not diagnosed and treated in time, it can lead to the death of the person suffering from the disease.

Pixabay/ Author: Ben_Kerckx

As you can see, it is not something that cannot be paid attention to, because it affects people in an integral way. There is no part of life that is not affected, since this affectation will not allow you to do practically nothing.

However, it is not easy to diagnose, because it has many symptoms that suggest other diseases, for example, weakness can be hypothyroidism or more common, anemia. And so each sign that is presented leads to think of different diagnoses. But one thing is very certain, and that is the fact that if it is not diagnosed, the person could die from this disease and never receive treatment.

This usually consists of taking drugs to make up for the hormone deficiency. As in the case of a person with type 1 diabetes, in the absence or lack of insulin, insulin is administered. The same happens with this disease when it is diagnosed, it requires restorative treatment so that the person can make up for the deficiencies and lead a normal life, like any other.

As always, I hope this publication has been to your liking and that it has left you with important information. Have a good weekend to all of you.

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• Links consulted

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

• Addison's disease

• Addison disease Diagnosis and initial management