Most signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease develop over many months. Sometimes symptoms appear suddenly leading to acute adrenal failure or Addisonian crisis. If you have both Addison's disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, it is called Schmidt syndrome.
Signs and Symptoms of Addison’s Disease
New York (USA), June 27, 2013
Addison’s Disease: Signs and Symptoms
Most signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease develop gradually spread over many months. However, over the period you seem to be constantly feeling nauseatic with sudden episodes of diarrhea and vomiting.
Common signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease include:
– Extreme low blood pressure
– Losing consciousness and fainting
– Muscular weakness with pain in joints
– Darkening of skin on knees, elbows, toes, knuckles, and skin folds, rather even in parts not exposed to sun
– Chronic and worsening fatigue
– Sexual dysfunction in women
– Loss of appetite
– Unexplained and prolonged weight loss
– Hypoglycemia
– Craving for salt due to urinary losses of sodium
– Body hair loss
– Diarrhea
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Irritability
– Depression
– Anxiety
– Darkening of recent scars, across lip borders, and genital skin
– Headaches
– Irregular menstrual periods in women
– Excessive sweating
– Difficulty in standing up and unable to stand straight
– Severe mood changes
Addisonian Crisis
Sometimes symptoms appear suddenly leading to acute adrenal failure or Addisonian crisis. This could be due to any infection from someone already suffering from Addison’s disease, any serious trauma, some other disease affecting adrenal gland functioning, or due to previously undiagnosed Addison’s disease. This is an emergency medical situation and requires immediate attention and treatment. If delayed, it could prove fatal.
Symptoms of Addisonian crisis include:
– Hyponatremia or low sodium level in blood
– Fever
– Convulsions
– Loss of consciousness
– Dehydration due to severe vomiting and diarrhea
– Confusion and disorientation
– Slurred speech
– Severe and sudden penetrating pain in legs, abdomen, and back
– Severe lethargy
– Hyperkalemia or high potassium levels in blood
– Hypercalcemia or high calcium levels in blood
Many serious medical conditions like goiter, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Type I diabetes, and Vitiligo occur together with Addison’s disease. Hence most symptoms of these diseases are also markedly present. If you have both Addison’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, it is called Schmidt syndrome. In most cases, adrenal insufficiency symptoms become very serious and you are sure to seek medical treatment before crisis situation sets in.
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