Last updated April 2023.
These pages are intended to be a help to those recently diagnosed with any form of Adrenal Insufficiency and also act as a reference point to papers or websites which may help anyone with this condition. The site is intended to be simple plain English that can be understood by non medical professionals. There are lots of links on the Links page which will take the reader to more in depth studies of various aspects of the illness.
The site is not a replacement for specialist medical advice from expert professionals who are able to study a patient's whole medical state but rather a source of where to look for help.
This website uses the term Adrenal Insufficiency (AI) and this includes Addisons Disease. A lot of clinicians, including quite a few endocrinologists, tend to use the term 'Addison's' when talking to patients/family because it is less of a mouthful and more widely recognised than adrenal insufficiency or the other medical term - hypoadrenalism. So AI embraces all of these and a lot of the symptoms and treatments are common to all of them.
Any form of AI requires replacement or enhancement of the cortisol produced in healthy adrenal glands. The two most common products, in the UK, are Hydrocortisone and Prednisolone. You may also be prescribed Fludrocortisone, which is used to help control the amount of Sodium and fluids in your body. Once the right balance of medication is established, most people can continue a normal life with minimum adjustments.
In very, very simple terms the system works like this. The Hypothalmus (situated just above the Pituitary gland) measures hormone levels in the blood. If there is not enough Cortisol it sends Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) to the Pituitary gland (situated at the base of the brain) which in turn produces Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which stimulates the Adrenal glands (which are situated on the Kidneys) to produce Cortisol. Once sufficient Cortisol is produced the request from the Hypothalmus stops. The interaction of these 3 glands is known as the HPA axis (Hypothalmus-Pituitary-Adrenals). Any upset to this mechanism can cause an under or over production of Cortisol. An over production may result in Cushings Syndrome whilst an under production results in Adrenal Insufficiency. This is much better explained, with diagrams, in this Dutch brochure which is a really good source of information. Whilst aimed at patients in the Netherlands, the content is very readable and informative.
Medical science, new discoveries and clinical experience all improve over time and increase our knowledge, so if you come across any updated information or new authentic links which may prove useful please let me know via the email address below.
If you spot any links not working or any other errors please let me know at info@randfhorton.com