Addison’s disease is a rare chronic condition in which your adrenal glands don’t produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. It's most often caused by an autoimmune attack. It's treatable with medication.
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Addison’s disease is a chronic condition in which your adrenal glands don’t produce enough of the hormones cortisol and aldosterone.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Your adrenal glands, also known as suprarenal glands, are small, triangle-shaped glands that are located on top of each of your two kidneys. They’re a part of your endocrine system.
Cortisol is a hormone that helps your body respond to stress, including the stress of illness, injury or surgery. It also helps maintain your blood pressure, heart function, immune system and blood glucose (sugar) levels. Cortisol is essential for life.
Aldosterone is a hormone that affects the balance of sodium (salt) and potassium in your blood. This in turn controls the amount of fluid your kidneys remove as urine (pee), which affects blood volume and blood pressure.
Addison’s disease is also called primary adrenal insufficiency. A related disorder, secondary adrenal insufficiency, happens when your pituitary gland doesn’t release enough adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which activates your adrenal glands to produce cortisol.
Addison’s disease happens when your body doesn’t have enough cortisol (and aldosterone), whereas Cushing’s syndrome happens when your body has too much cortisol (hypercortisolism).
Addison’s disease can affect people of all age groups, but it’s most common in people 30 to 50 years old.
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People who have autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, a rare, inherited condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks many of your tissues and organs, are much more likely to have Addison’s disease. Your mucous membranes, adrenal glands and parathyroid glands are commonly affected by this syndrome, though it can affect other types of tissues and organs.
People who have the following autoimmune disease are also at higher risk of developing the autoimmune (most common) form of Addison's disease:
Addison’s disease is rare. In the United States, it affects 1 in 100,000 people.
With Addison’s disease, the damage to your adrenal glands usually happens slowly over time, so symptoms occur gradually. Symptoms vary from person to person.
Symptoms of Addison’s disease include:
People assigned female at birth with Addison’s disease may also have abnormal menstruation (periods), lose body hair and have a decreased sexual drive.
In some cases — such as after an injury or severe illness or time of intense stress — symptoms can come on quickly and cause a life-threatening event called an addisonian crisis or acute adrenal failure.
An addisonian crisis is a medical emergency. If it’s not treated, it can lead to shock and death. Symptoms of an addisonian crisis include:
Get to the nearest hospital as soon as possible if you’re having these symptoms.
The most common cause of Addison’s disease is an autoimmune response, which occurs when your immune system attacks healthy tissues for an unknown reason. With Addison’s disease, your immune system attacks the outer portion of your adrenal glands (the adrenal cortex), where they make cortisol and aldosterone. Symptoms don’t usually develop until 90% of the adrenal cortex has been damaged, which can take several months to years.
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Approximately 75% of cases of Addison’s disease are due to an autoimmune attack. Autoimmune Addison’s disease may happen by itself or as part of a rare, inherited syndrome, specifically autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes I (APS type-1) and II (Schmidt syndrome).
In the past, tuberculosis was a major cause of Addison’s disease. It remains a prominent cause of the condition in developing countries.
Other less common causes of Addison’s disease include:
Since symptoms of Addison’s disease usually develop slowly over time and are usually vague and common to many different conditions, it often leads to a delay in the proper diagnosis.
Healthcare providers often “accidentally” discover Addison’s disease when a routine blood test, such as a basic metabolic panel, shows low levels of sodium or high levels of potassium.
Dark patches on your skin are another common symptom that signals healthcare providers to test for Addison’s disease.
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If your provider suspects you may have Addison’s disease based on your symptoms, they’ll order more tests to officially diagnose the condition.
To determine if you have Addison’s disease, your healthcare provider may order the following tests:
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Addison’s disease is treated by replacing the missing hormones, cortisol and aldosterone, with synthetic versions of them.
Cortisol is replaced by the drug hydrocortisone, and aldosterone is replaced by the drug fludrocortisone. Addison’s disease is a chronic condition, so you’ll need to take medication for the rest of your life.
The dosages of these medications are different for each person, and your healthcare provider may increase the dosage when you’re experiencing an infection, trauma, surgery and other stressful situations to prevent an acute adrenal crisis.
If you’re taking fludrocortisone, your provider might tell you to increase your salt intake, especially in hot and humid weather and after vigorous exercise.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to prevent Addison’s disease.
The prognosis for Addison’s disease is generally good. Although people who have Addison’s disease will need to take medicine for the rest of their lives, they can live normal, healthy lives.
The dosages of these medications, however, need to be closely monitored to prevent over- or under-treatment. Over-treatment with glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone) may result in obesity, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Over-treatment with fludrocortisone can cause high blood pressure (hypertension).
Up to 50% of people with Addison’s disease develop another autoimmune condition.
If you have Addison’s disease, you should carry an identification card and wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace at all times to let medical professionals know you have the condition in emergencies.
Talk to your healthcare provider about what you should do when you become sick or are experiencing intense stress since you’ll likely need to increase your medication dosages.
Ask your provider about keeping a shot of cortisol for emergencies, and be sure someone with you knows how to give you the shot.
If you have Addison’s disease, you’ll need to see your healthcare provider (likely an endocrinologist) regularly to make sure your medication dosages are working for you.
Call your provider if you have major stress — such as an injury, illness or the death of a loved one — because you might need an adjustment to your medicine.
Seek medical attention right away if you have any of the symptoms of an addisonian crisis, such as sudden, extreme weakness and intense pain.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Receiving a diagnosis of a chronic condition can be overwhelming and stressful. The good news is that Addison’s disease is treatable with medication. It’s important to see your healthcare provider regularly to make sure your dosages are correct and to prevent an episode of acute adrenal failure. If you have any questions about managing Addison’s disease, talk to your provider. They’re always available to help you.
Last reviewed on 07/06/2022.
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