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ADDISON DISEASE
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CONDITION/DISORDER SYNONYMS
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PREFERRED PRACTICE PATTERNS4
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PATIENT PRESENTATION
A 25-year-old female referred with significant sarcopenia and a BMI of 16. Her gait is unstable and she demonstrates coordination deficits. She is mildly short of breath on exertion. She describes little interest in food, but does have self-described craving for potato chips at times. Of late, she is too tired to exercise and she thinks it is because she is depressed. Her history reveals that she menstruates infrequently over the past year and that her skin tone has changed.
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Insufficient production or release of glucocorticoids (cortisol),1 androgens, and mineralocorticoids from the adrenal glands
These hormones play a role in
Conversion of food to energy
Inflammatory response
Response to stress
Maintaining sodium–potassium balance for blood pressure regulation and production of androgens in males and women, involved in maintaining libido
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Essentials of Diagnosis
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May be insidious onset or sudden onset as in Addisonian crisis
May cause pathology in multiple organ systems or be caused by pathology in other organ systems
Confirmation of suspected disease through blood testing
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General Considerations
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