1.What is it?
Addison’s disease is a rare hormonal disorder and is a significant deficiency of the hormones that is created in the adrenal cortex. Hormones are chemical messengers that keep the body in balance by regulating functions like reproductions or our emotions. These hormones are produced in the adrenal glands, which is located at the top of each kidney. The adrenal glands has an outer part known as the cortex and an inner part known as the medulla. Adrenal glands produce epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, that is created during the time of stress that in response will raise blood flow and pulse rate. The outside of the adrenal glands, known as the cortex creates two critical hormones, aldosterone, and cortisol. The deficiency …show more content…
Someone can get primary adrenal insufficiency if they have been taking glucocorticoids like prednisone for a prolonged period. Glucocorticoids, like prednisone, is an immunosuppressant drug that helps to treat cancer, arthritis, and most form of inflammation. Primary adrenal insufficiency can also be caused by infections, tuberculosis, tumors or cancer within the body and certain type of blood thinners. Adrenal insufficiencies can be caused if a patient does not take the administered amount of corticosteroid medication prescribed. An injury to the hypothalamus can cause Addison’s disease. The hypothalamus is in the brain that produces hormones that tell the endocrine glands to begin or stop production of hormones. An injury to the hypothalamus can cause a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) deficiency. CRH instructs the pituitary glands to produce an adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands. This can cause a secondary adrenal insufficiency. Addison’s disease tends to occur at the age of 30 and 50 years old but can occur at any age. Women and children are more susceptible to getting Addison’s disease. Women are three times as likely than men to get Addison’s disease because women are more likely to get an autoimmune disease …show more content…
In many cases, Addison’s disease goes undiagnosed, thus it is hard to predict its frequency among populations. However, any population with a high percentage of people with type 1 diabetes, asthma, Graves’ disease, hypothyroidism, anemia, or vitiligo will have a higher risk of getting Addison’s disease. Adrenal problems will start to arise in response to trauma, infections, or stressors in a person’s life, which are common symptoms and repercussions of having an autoimmune disease. Therefore having any type of autoimmune disease like type 1 diabetes, Graves’ disease or hypothyroidism, will increase the chances of having Addison’s disease. Countries like the United States and Singapore has the highest rate of people with type 1 diabetes and Australia has large majority with asthma, therefore these populations are more
Addison’s disease is a rare hormonal disorder and is a significant deficiency of the hormones that is created in the adrenal cortex. Hormones are chemical messengers that keep the body in balance by regulating functions like reproductions or our emotions. These hormones are produced in the adrenal glands, which is located at the top of each kidney. The adrenal glands has an outer part known as the cortex and an inner part known as the medulla. Adrenal glands produce epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, that is created during the time of stress that in response will raise blood flow and pulse rate. The outside of the adrenal glands, known as the cortex creates two critical hormones, aldosterone, and cortisol. The deficiency …show more content…
Someone can get primary adrenal insufficiency if they have been taking glucocorticoids like prednisone for a prolonged period. Glucocorticoids, like prednisone, is an immunosuppressant drug that helps to treat cancer, arthritis, and most form of inflammation. Primary adrenal insufficiency can also be caused by infections, tuberculosis, tumors or cancer within the body and certain type of blood thinners. Adrenal insufficiencies can be caused if a patient does not take the administered amount of corticosteroid medication prescribed. An injury to the hypothalamus can cause Addison’s disease. The hypothalamus is in the brain that produces hormones that tell the endocrine glands to begin or stop production of hormones. An injury to the hypothalamus can cause a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) deficiency. CRH instructs the pituitary glands to produce an adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands. This can cause a secondary adrenal insufficiency. Addison’s disease tends to occur at the age of 30 and 50 years old but can occur at any age. Women and children are more susceptible to getting Addison’s disease. Women are three times as likely than men to get Addison’s disease because women are more likely to get an autoimmune disease …show more content…
In many cases, Addison’s disease goes undiagnosed, thus it is hard to predict its frequency among populations. However, any population with a high percentage of people with type 1 diabetes, asthma, Graves’ disease, hypothyroidism, anemia, or vitiligo will have a higher risk of getting Addison’s disease. Adrenal problems will start to arise in response to trauma, infections, or stressors in a person’s life, which are common symptoms and repercussions of having an autoimmune disease. Therefore having any type of autoimmune disease like type 1 diabetes, Graves’ disease or hypothyroidism, will increase the chances of having Addison’s disease. Countries like the United States and Singapore has the highest rate of people with type 1 diabetes and Australia has large majority with asthma, therefore these populations are more