Addison's disease
Symptoms
Addison's disease can be difficult to detect at first because early symptoms are similar to those of many other health conditions.
Initial symptoms of Addison's disease can include:
- lack of energy or motivation (fatigue)
- abnormal drowsiness or tiredness (lethargy)
- muscle weakness
- low mood (mild depression) or irritability
- loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss
- the need to urinate frequently
- increased thirst
- craving salty foods
Dehydration can also be an early sign of Addison's disease. It's caused by lack of the hormone aldosterone in the body, which is used to regulate the balance of salt and water.
Later symptoms
Further symptoms of Addison's disease tend to develop gradually over months or years. However, additional stress, caused by another illness or an accident, for example, may cause the symptoms to suddenly get worse.
Patients may go on to develop:
- low blood pressure on standing up, which can cause dizziness and fainting
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- abdominal, joint or back pain
- muscle cramps
- chronic exhaustion, which may cause depression
- brownish discolouration of the skin, lips and gums (hyperpigmentation), particularly in the creases on the palms, on scars or on pressure points, such as the knuckles or knees
- a lack of interest in sex (reduced libido), particularly in women
Some women may also have irregular periods or miss some periods completely. Children with Addison's disease may go through puberty later than usual.
Some people with Addison's disease also develop low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). This can cause symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, confusion, anxiety and even unconsciousness (particularly in children).
These symptoms will usually improve with appropriate steroid treatment.
Adrenal crisis
If Addison's disease is left untreated, the levels of hormones produced by the adrenal gland gradually decrease in the body. This causes the symptoms to get progressively worse and eventually leads to a life-threatening situation - an adrenal or Addisonian crisis.
During an adrenal crisis, the symptoms of Addison's disease appear quickly and severely. This could happen when the patient is already experiencing initial symptoms, or without any symptoms at all (i.e. totally unexpected).
An adrenal crisis is a medical emergency. If left untreated, it can lead to a coma and death. There's also a risk the brain will not get enough oxygen if treatment is delayed, which can cause permanent disability.
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