Addison’s Disease
Thursday, November 8, 2007

People with Addison’s Disease have a difficult time dealing with stress and illness.  Dr. Ken Davis takes a closer look at this disease in today’s 60 Second Housecall.

Addison’s disease is caused by malfunction of the adrenal glands that sit just above the kidney in the abdomen.  The adrenal glands secrete hormones that help your body respond to stress and regulate your blood pressure, water and salt balance.  The most common cause of Addison’s Disease is autoimmune, where your immune system attacks the glands.

Symptoms of Addison’s Disease include:

-   Weight loss

-   Muscle weakness

-   Fatigue

-   Low blood pressure and dizziness

-   Low blood sodium levels and

-   High blood potassium levels

The treatment for Addison’s disease is replacement of the hormones that are under produced.  This includes prednisone to replace the cortisol and florinef to maintain salt and water balance.  Patients with Addison’s disease do not respond well to stress such as illness or surgery.  Extra replacement doses may be needed during these events.

Addison’s disease is not an easy diagnosis to make, so report these symptoms to your physician.

For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.