Symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency

List of symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Adrenal insufficiency includes the 11 symptoms listed below:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Anorexia
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Abdominal pain
• Cutaneous pigmentation
• Mucosal pigmentation
• Hypotension
• Hypoglycaemia

Note that Adrenal insufficiency symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Adrenal insufficiency signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Adrenal insufficiency

Do I have Adrenal insufficiency?

• Adrenal insufficiency: Introduction
• Adrenal insufficiency: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Adrenal insufficiency
• Treatments for Adrenal insufficiency
• More about Adrenal insufficiency

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Adrenal insufficiency:

• High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
  • Home Blood Pressure Tests
  • Home Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Home Heart Tests
• Heart Health: Home Testing:
  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Irregular Heartbeat Detection
  • Heart Electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Home Cholesterol Tests
• Fatigue: Related Home Tests:
  • Home Anemia Tests
  • Home Thyroid Function Tests
  • Home Adrenal Function Tests
  • Home Calcium Deficiency Tests
  • Home HIV Tests
• Bladder & Urinary Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Bladder Tests
  • Home Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Tests
  • Home Cystitis Tests
  • Home Kidney Tests
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney Function)
  • Home Prostate Cancer Tests
• Adrenal Gland Health: Home Testing:
• Kidney Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Microalbumin Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Adrenal insufficiency?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Adrenal insufficiency includes:

• Addison's disease
• Adrenal Cancer
• Adrenal disorders

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Depression

See the full list of 7 alternative diagnoses for Adrenal insufficiency

More about symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency:

More information about symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Adrenal insufficiency
• Underlying causes of Adrenal insufficiency

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.

• Abdominal pain - see all causes of Abdominal pain
• Anorexia - see all causes of Anorexia
• Cutaneous pigmentation - see all causes of Skin pigmentation
• Fatigue - see all causes of Fatigue
• Hypotension - see all causes of Low blood pressure
• Nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting
• Weakness - see all causes of Weakness
• Weight loss - see all causes of Weight loss

Medical Books Online about Adrenal insufficiency

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Adrenal insufficiency are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Adrenal insufficiency.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency.

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 »

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 »

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 »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency:

Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency are weakness, fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, and weight loss. During stress, if cortisol levels are too low, an adrenal crisis can arise. Adrenal crisis is extremely serious and can cause death if not treated promptly. (Source: excerpt from Update Follow-Up Study of NHPP Growth Hormone Recipients: NIDDK)

Adrenal insufficiency as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency, it is also important to consider Adrenal insufficiency as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Adrenal insufficiency may cause:

• Acute confusional state
• Alopecia
• Chloride levels low (plasma or serum)
• Cortisol levels low (plasma or serum)
• Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels low (plasma or serum)
• Eosinophilia
• Hypercalcaemia
• Hyperkalaemia
• Hypermagnesaemia
• Hypoglycaemia
• Hyponatraemia
• Hypotension
• Infertility
• Metabolic acidosis
• Osmolarity low (plasma)
• Potassium levels low (urine)
• Sodium levels raised (sweat)
• Sodium levels raised (urine)

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:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Adrenal insufficiency
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Adrenal insufficiency
• More about Adrenal insufficiency
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency. This signs and symptoms information for Adrenal insufficiency has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Adrenal insufficiency signs or Adrenal insufficiency symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Adrenal insufficiency 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 Adrenal insufficiency symptoms.