What is Addisons-Disease

Addison's disease (also known as chronic adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism) is a rare endocrine disorder. It is estimated that it affects about 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. It...

Join Now

Free, anonymous support from people just like you.

We're on Facebook!
Check out our page!
DS Store is Open
DS t-shirts and more
Advertisement
Discussions | Recommendations | Advice | News & Info | Treatments | Members | Goals | Groups

Recent Discussions

Topics Replies Last Post
Fatigue On Hydrocortisone 
4 By ryanbmw
2:52 pm
New here 
4 By ryanbmw
2:32 pm
ADDINSON'S AND THE HEAT 
3 By marciaston
07/03/09
Injections/IV therapy? 
3 By marciaston
07/03/09
Newly Diagnosed but alrea... 
2 By marciaston
07/03/09
Dental Implants and Addis... 
2 By marciaston
07/03/09
addison's / hypothyroid 
5 By marciaston
07/02/09
addison physician in manh... 
2 By marciaston
07/02/09
Help! Shaking, Numbess i... 
0 By Hashithing
06/26/09
stem cell 
0 By NinjaMother
06/26/09

What's the Best Test for Diabetes?

By Dr. Orrange June 21, 2009 7:56pm 6 Comments

"I've had tingling in my feet", "I've been urinating a lot", and "I've been really tired and haven't felt right?" Could this be adult-onset Diabetes? Many people come to the office with signs and symptoms they are worried may represent diabetes and ask me about a "test for Diabetes". Until …

Top 10 Things I am Asked About in my Practice:

By Dr. Orrange May 31, 2009 11:15pm 21 Comments

1) Do I need an annual physical? As many of you know Medicare does NOT cover annual physicals... so the question is do you really need one?

For females over 40 you need to come in for an annual mammogram, and either a once a year or every three years (in low- risk folks) Pap smear.

For men and women over 40 I say you need to come in and this is …

Thinking of the Greater Good

By Dr. Jeremy May 16, 2009 9:15pm 9 Comments

 

Today has been a good day.  After weeks of preparation, my wife, mother, and oldest daughter headed over to a nearby school early this morning to prepare and set up for my daughter's Girl Scout troop's involvement in the local Relay for Life.  Now for those who don't know (as I did not until just a few short weeks …

Latest Journal Entries

Member Photos

Addison's Disease Information

Addison's disease (also known as chronic adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism) is a rare endocrine disorder. It is estimated that it affects about 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. It occurs when the adrenal glands, seated above the kidneys, fail to produce enough of the hormone cortisol and, sometimes, the hormone aldosterone.

Addison's disease refers specifically to primary adrenal insufficiency, in which the adrenal glands themselves malfunction; secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the anterior pituitary gland does not produce enough adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to adequately stimulate the adrenal glands.

Treatment

Treatment for Addison's disease involves replacing the missing cortisol and, if necessary, fludrocortisone as replacement for the missing aldosterone. Caution must be exercised when the person with Addison's disease has surgery or becomes pregnant. Treatment for an acute attack - an Addisonian Crisis - usually involves intravenous (into blood veins) injections of: Hydrocortisone, Saline solution (basically a salt water, same clear IV bag as used to treat dehydration), and Dextrose (a type of sugar).

Prognosis

While treatment solutions for Addison's Disease are far from precise, overall long-term prognosis is typically good. Because of individual physiological differences, each person with Addison's must work closely with their physician to adjust their medication dosage and schedule to find the most effective routine. Once this is accomplished (and occasional adjustments must be made from time to time, especially during periods of travel, stress, or other medical conditions), symptomology is usually greatly reduced or occasionally eliminated so long as the person continues their dosage schedule accurately.

Advertisement

Latest Activity

Top Treatments
All
  1. 1 Cortisol 96%
    of the time
  2. 2 Florinef 96%
    of the time
  3. 3 Prednisone 100%
    of the time
  4. 4 Synthroid 75%
    of the time
  5. 5 Hydrocortisone 100%
    of the time
  6. 6 Mevacor 100%
    of the time
  7. 7 Support from Friends & Family 100%
    of the time
  8. 8 Positive Thinking 100%
    of the time
  9. 9 DHEA 100%
    of the time
  10. 10 Cymbalta 100%
    of the time

Member Groups


About Us | Testimonials | Crisis Hotlines | Help | 07/05/2009 3:22 PM  
» Related Support Groups
· Thyroid Cancer
· Acromegaly
· Graves' Disease
· Hyperthyroidism
· Hypothyroidism
· Diabetes Type 1
· Diabetes Type 2
· Prolactinoma
» Related Treatments
· Cortisol
· Florinef
· Prednisone
· Synthroid
· Hydrocortisone
· Mevacor
· Support from Friends & Family
· Positive Thinking
» Stay In Touch
· Find us on Twitter!
· Find us on Facebook!
Advertisement
Content on DailyStrength.org is for informational purposes only. We do not provide any medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. More info
Portions of support group and treatment information provided by Wikipedia under the GNU FDL license
Copyright 2006-2009, DailyStrength, Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Report Abuse | HSW International | HSW China | HSW Brazil