A First Presentation of Autoimmune Primary Adrenal Insufficiency

Primary adrenal insufficiency is a rare disease with an estimated incidence in Western countries of 35-60 cases per million and is characterized by hypocortisolism and hypoaldosteronism.1 Autoimmune disease is the most common etiology of primary adrenal insufficiency and is responsible for 70-90% of cases.1 Patients with chronic autoimmune processes can present in adrenal crisis characterized by hypotension with other common features including weakness and fatigue, GI symptoms, hyperpigmentation, hyponatremia, and hyperkalemia.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical Communication to the Editor Source Type: research