Addison's disease treatment

Addison's disease, or as it is sometimes called Bronze disease is a fairly rare endocrine disease, accompanied by a chronic insufficiency of the adrenal cortex, which arises from their bilateral defeat. In the vast majority of recorded cases of Addison's disease - the cause of the disease is the attack of one's own immune system( autoimmune process).Although other causes that contribute to the development of this disease are not excluded

Reasons for the occurrence of

- Autoimmune defeat of the adrenal cortex
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
- Adrenoleukodystrophy
- As a consequence of prolonged hormonal therapy
- adrenal tuberculosis
- Amyloidosis
- Adrenal withdrawal
-Hemorrhages in the adrenal glands
- Syphilis
- Fungal diseases( coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis and blastomycosis)
- Sarcoid

Symptoms of

Symptoms of :
- Lowering blood pressure and appearing muscle weakness
- Depression is coming and progressive weight loss is observed

Secondary symptoms :
- There are changes on the skin( areas of hyperpigmentation - dark sites in closed and exposed parts of the body)
- Patients begin to consume large amounts of salt
- Children experience a decrease in blood glucose level
- Women experience a disorder or completeCessation of the menstrual cycle

In some cases, the patient may have a violation of swallowing and heart palpitations. Because of a violation of calcium metabolism, convulsive attacks are possible. People with Addison's disease do not tolerate solar radiation.
Also sometimes there are cases when symptoms of Bronze disease manifest unexpectedly, thereby provoking a crisis. These crises are quite dangerous, especially if they are provoked by a trauma or other disease
Symptoms of the crisis :
- A sharp drop in blood pressure
- There is a sudden pain in the abdomen and lower extremities
- Strong diarrhea and vomiting
- BSome cases there is a loss of consciousness
In the case of an adrenal crisis, a patient in the shortest possible time requires qualified medical care, otherwise a person may die.
For error-free diagnosis of Addison's disease, in the presence of the above symptoms, a person's blood is taken for biochemical analysis.

. Treatment

. First of all, hormone replacement therapy is prescribed for the treatment of this disease in order to obtain those hormones that the body can not produce on its own. In case of a lack of cortisol - tableted hydrocortisone 1-2 times a day is prescribed. With a reduced content of aldosterone, a tableted mineral corticoid hormone( Florinef) is administered once a day. When taking this hormone, it is recommended to increase the intake of salt. The dosage of the drug is selected individually.
During the course of the adrenal crisis, a significant drop in blood pressure and blood glucose, elevated blood potassium levels, can seriously endanger the patient's life. With the adrenal crisis intravenously administered hydrocortisone + dextrose( sugar) + saline( salt water).After that, in the vast majority of cases, there is a sharp improvement.

The prognosis for Addison's disease is quite favorable. With timely adequate and qualitatively conducted therapy - the life expectancy with this disease is close to the average.

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