This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Addison's disease

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Addison's disease or primary adrenocortical deficiency results from destruction of the adrenal cortex. Glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid and sex steroid production are all reduced.

It is a rare condition with a prevalence of 93-140 per million people and an annual incidence of 4.7-6.2 per million people in Western populations (1).

  • in UK Addison’s disease affects around 1 in 10,000 individuals with an estimate of around 8400 currently diagnosed cases (2)
  • according to a recent epidemiological study the incidence of Addison’s disease is on the rise (1)
  • may occur at any age but commonly seen between the ages of 30-50 years (2)
  • women are affected more than men (3)

Autoimmune adrenalitis accounts increasingly for the condition as tuberculosis has become less common.

The disease may remain subclinical for a long period of time (4).

Notes (5):

  • primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency share many clinical features - however, they differ in that only primary adrenal insufficiency is characterized by mineralocorticoid deficiency and by hyperpigmentation

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.