Primary adrenal insufficiency (also known under the eponym Addison’s disease) occurs when the adrenal glands situated on top of the kidneys produce inadequate amounts of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid hormones. Autoimmune destruction of the aforementioned glands is the most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in the developed countries, whereas tuberculosis is the second most frequent cause worldwide.
A plethora of autoimmune comorbidities can be associated with primary adrenal insufficiency – most notably Hashimoto’s disease, primary atrophic hypothyroidism, type I diabetes mellitus, as well as hypogonadism and primary ovarian failure. Their association can also be syndromic (main examples are type I or II polyglandular autoimmune syndrome).
In addition to those associations, autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency has also …show more content…
Comorbid diseases in this syndrome tend to develop in a specific order: diabetes generally develops before adrenal failure, while thyroid diseases develop before, together with or after adrenal failure.
Schmidt’s syndrome is a rare condition that affects women two to four times more often as men. It can occur in both sexes and at any age, albeit it is most commonly observed in females between 20 and 40 years of age. Furthermore, it can also be seen in many generations of the same family via an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance.
Thyroid disease is usually chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), although toxic diffuse goiter (Graves’ disease) may also develop. Thyroid microsomal or thyroglobulin autoantibodies are usually observed, while ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland reveals hypoechogenic
A plethora of autoimmune comorbidities can be associated with primary adrenal insufficiency – most notably Hashimoto’s disease, primary atrophic hypothyroidism, type I diabetes mellitus, as well as hypogonadism and primary ovarian failure. Their association can also be syndromic (main examples are type I or II polyglandular autoimmune syndrome).
In addition to those associations, autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency has also …show more content…
Comorbid diseases in this syndrome tend to develop in a specific order: diabetes generally develops before adrenal failure, while thyroid diseases develop before, together with or after adrenal failure.
Schmidt’s syndrome is a rare condition that affects women two to four times more often as men. It can occur in both sexes and at any age, albeit it is most commonly observed in females between 20 and 40 years of age. Furthermore, it can also be seen in many generations of the same family via an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance.
Thyroid disease is usually chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), although toxic diffuse goiter (Graves’ disease) may also develop. Thyroid microsomal or thyroglobulin autoantibodies are usually observed, while ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland reveals hypoechogenic