- While Addison's disease regularly impacts the immune response, most cases are a result of an autoimmune condition where antibodies attack and slowly damage the adrenal cortex of the gland. Over time, this damage eventually affects the production of cortisol as well as aldosterone, causing you to develop symptoms of the disease.
- As the adrenal cortex is damaged and hormone levels drop, you often begin to display symptoms of the condition. Most of the time, these symptoms are subtle at first, becoming more pronounced as the adrenal gland undergoes more and more damage. Of these symptoms, weakness and fatigue as well as low blood pressure, low blood sugar and weight loss are the most common. But you may also experience nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, hyperpigmentation (a dark tanning of the skin), muscle pain, irritability and even some level of depression.
- Since most cases of adrenal disease come on slowly and go unnoticed, it's quite possible for the adrenal gland to suddenly fail. When this happens, you experience an abrupt drop in blood pressure, often causing you to faint or lose consciousness. But before you fall unconscious, you normally experience severe pain within the abdomen, lower back or legs, as well as persistent vomiting and diarrhea.
- Addison's disease is difficult to diagnose, namely due to the subtle progression of its symptoms. For many medical professionals, the key indicator of this condition is hyperpigmentation coupled with other classic symptoms of the disease, like weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure and unexplained weight loss. If a doctor suspects this adrenal disease, blood tests and cortisol levels are often used to diagnose the condition.
- Most methods of treatment involve addressing the lack of hormones through replacement therapy. An oral medication, like hydrocortisone, dehydroepiandrosterone, prednisone or fludrocortisone, is taken each day to adjust hormone levels, improve blood pressure and lessen the symptoms.
