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Addison's disease, also called adrenal insufficiency, is an uncommon illness that occurs when the body doesn't make enough of certain hormones. In Addison's disease, the adrenal glands make too little cortisol and, often, too little of another hormone, aldosterone.
Addison's disease can affect anyone and can be life-threatening. Treatment involves taking hormones to replace those that are missing.
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Addison's disease symptoms usually happen slowly, often over months. The disease can move so slowly that people who have it may ignore the symptoms at first. Then a stress, such as illness or injury, makes symptoms worse.
Symptoms may include:
Addison's disease is caused by damage to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands sit just above the kidneys. As part of the endocrine system, they make hormones that affect almost every organ and tissue in the body. Damage to these glands results in too little of the hormone cortisol and, often, the hormone aldosterone.
The adrenal glands are made up of two sections. The interior, called the medulla, makes adrenaline-like hormones. The outer layer, called the cortex, makes a group of hormones cal...
Medicines are used to treat Addison's disease. Hormone replacement therapy corrects the levels of steroid hormones the body isn't making enough of. Some treatments include oral corticosteroids such as:
Addison's disease can't be prevented, but there are ways to avoid an addisonian crisis:
For informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
© Mayo Clinic
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