Symptoms of Addison's Disease
Symptoms of Addison's Disease
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Addison's Disease includes the 57
symptoms listed below:
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Addison's Disease: Complications
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Addison's Disease Symptoms: Book Excerpts
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Wrongly Diagnosed with Addison's Disease?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Addison's Disease includes:
See the full list of 11
alternative diagnoses for Addison's Disease
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More about symptoms of Addison's Disease:
More information about symptoms of Addison's Disease and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Addison's Disease
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Addison's Disease
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Addison's Disease.
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Symptoms of Addison's Disease: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Addison's Disease.
Adrenal crisis:
Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Profound weakness, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, dehydration, high fever followed by hypothermia, vascular collapse, renal shutdown, coma
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Adrenal hypofunction:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Adrenal hypofunction typically produces such effects as weakness, fatigue, weight loss, and various GI disturbances, such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and chronic diarrhea. When primary, the disorder usually causes a conspicuous bronze coloration of the skin. The patient appears to be deeply suntanned, especially in the creases of the hands and over the metacarpophalangeal joints, the elbows, and the knees. He may also exhibit a darkening of scars, areas of vitiligo (absence of pigmentation), and increased pigmentation of the mucous membranes, especially the buccal mucosa. Abnormal skin and mucous membrane coloration results from decreased secretion of cortisol (one of the glucocorticoids), which causes the pituitary gland to simultaneously secrete excessive amounts of corticotropin and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH).
Associated cardiovascular abnormalities in adrenal hypofunction include orthostatic hypotension, decreased cardiac size and output, and a weak, irregular pulse. Other clinical effects include decreased tolerance for even minor stress, poor coordination, fasting hypoglycemia (due to decreased gluconeogenesis), and a craving for salty food. Adrenal hypofunction may also retard axillary and pubic hair growth in females, decrease the libido (from decreased androgen production) and, in severe cases, cause amenorrhea.
Secondary adrenal hypofunction produces similar clinical effects but without hyperpigmentation because corticotropin and MSH levels are low. Because aldosterone secretion may continue at fairly normal levels in secondary adrenal hypofunction, this condition doesn’t necessarily cause accompanying hypotension and electrolyte abnormalities.
Alert Adrenal crisis produces profound weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, dehydration and, occasionally, high fever followed by hypothermia. If untreated, this condition can ultimately lead to vascular collapse, renal shutdown, coma, and death.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Adrenal hypofunction:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Signs and symptoms vary with the type of adrenal hypofunction.
Primary hypofunction
Addison’s disease typically produces weakness, fatigue, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. Asthenia (constant fatigue) is the cardinal symptom, most evident in times of stress.
The disorder also usually causes a conspicuous bronze coloration of the skin. The patient appears to be deeply suntanned, especially in the creases of the hands and over the metacarpophalangeal joints, the elbows, and the knees. He also may exhibit a darkening of scars, areas of vitiligo (absence of pigmentation), and increased pigmentation of the mucous membranes, especially the buccal mucosa. Such abnormal skin and mucous membrane coloration results from decreased secretion of cortisol (a glucocorticoid), which causes the pituitary gland to simultaneously secrete excessive amounts of corticotropin and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH).
Associated cardiovascular abnormalities include orthostatic hypotension, decreased cardiac size and output, and a weak, irregular pulse.
Other signs and symptoms include decreased tolerance for even minor stress, fasting hypoglycemia (due to decreased gluconeogenesis), and a craving for salty food due to decreased mineralocorticoid secretion, which normally causes salt retention.
GENDER INFLUENCE: In women with adrenal hypofunction, androgen levels are low, though they may be treated with daily replacement of 25 to 50 mg of dehydroepiandrosterone to improve quality of life and skeletal density. Also, axillary and pubic hair may be decreased due to loss of adrenal androgens.
Secondary hypofunction
Secondary hypofunction produces signs and symptoms similar to those of primary hypofunction but without hyperpigmentation because corticotropin and MSH levels are low. Because aldosterone secretion may continue at fairly normal levels in those with secondary adrenal hypofunction, this condition doesn’t necessarily cause accompanying hypotension and electrolyte abnormalities.
Adrenal crisis
Besides producing profound weakness, adrenal crisis also causes fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hypotension, dehydration and, occasionally, high fever followed by hypothermia. If untreated, this condition can ultimately lead to vascular collapse, renal shutdown, coma, and death.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Primary Adrenal Insufficiency:
Primary Adrenal Insufficiency - signs & symptoms
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)
The symptoms of primary adrenal insufficiency are nonspecific and similar to those found in many disease processes. The electrolyte picture of adrenal insufficiency can be seen in renal disorders, obstructive uropathy, and isolated aldosterone deficiency.
- Weakness and fatigue
- Anorexia, weight loss
- Headache
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
- Orthostatic symptoms
- Muscle or joint pains
- Emotional lability
- Salt craving
- Hyperpigmentation
- Decreased axillary or pubic hair in females owing to lack of adrenal androgens
- Amenorrhea in females
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Addison's Disease:
The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency usually
begin gradually. Chronic, worsening fatigue and muscle weakness, loss of
appetite, and weight loss are characteristic of the disease. Nausea,
vomiting, and diarrhea occur in about 50 percent of cases. Blood pressure
is low and falls further when standing, causing dizziness or fainting.
Skin changes also are common in Addison's disease, with areas of
hyperpigmentation, or dark tanning, covering exposed and nonexposed parts
of the body. This darkening of the skin is most visible on scars; skin
folds; pressure points such as the elbows, knees, knuckles, and toes;
lips; and mucous membranes.
Addison's disease can cause irritability and depression. Because of
salt loss, craving of salty foods also is common. Hypoglycemia, or low
blood sugar, is more severe in children than in adults. In women,
menstrual periods may become irregular or stop.
Because the symptoms progress slowly, they are usually ignored until a
stressful event like an illness or an accident causes them to become
worse. This is called an addisonian crisis, or acute adrenal
insufficiency. In most patients, symptoms are severe enough to seek
medical treatment before a crisis occurs. However, in about 25 percent of
patients, symptoms first appear during an addisonian crisis.
Symptoms of an addisonian crisis include sudden penetrating pain in the
lower back, abdomen, or legs; severe vomiting and diarrhea, followed by
dehydration; low blood pressure; and loss of consciousness. Left
untreated, an addisonian crisis can be fatal.
(Source: excerpt from Addison's Disease: NIDDK)
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Addison's Disease:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Addison's Disease.
This signs and symptoms information for Addison's Disease has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Addison's Disease signs or Addison's Disease symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Addison's Disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Addison's Disease symptoms.
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