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Addison's disease
Other Names for this Disease
- Addison disease
- Adrenal aplasia
- Adrenal gland hypofunction
- Adrenal hypoplasia
- Hypoadrenocorticism familial
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Overview
Addison's disease is a condition that occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of their hormones. This condition can be caused by damage to the adrenal glands, autoimmune conditions, and certain genetic conditions. Some of the symptoms include changes in blood pressure, chronic diarrhea, darkening of the skin, paleness, extreme weakness, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, salt craving, and weight loss. Treatment with replacement corticosteroids usually controls the symptoms.[1]
References
- Eckman AS. Addison's disease. MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000378.htm. Accessed April 28, 2011.
Your Questions Answered
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General Information
- MedlinePlus, a Web site designed by the National Library of Medicine to help you research your health questions, provides more information about this topic. Click on the link to view this information.
- Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. Click on the link to view this information. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library provides information on this condition. Click on the link to view the information.
- The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), part of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), offers information on this condition. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge. Click on the link to read information on this topic.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Addison's disease. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.
- The The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database contains genetics resources that discuss Addison's disease. Click on the link to go to OMIM and review these resources.