Addison's Disease

Alternate Name: Chronic Hypoadrenocorticism

Test: P.cortisol (fails to increase after IM or IV ACTH),S.sodium (L), S.potassium (H), S.adrenal cell an¬tibodies (+), S.HLA-DR3 (+), BUN (H), aneutre¬phils (L), B.lymphocytes (H), haematocrit (H), B.glucose (L

Sign: Cachexia, hypotension, nail discolouration, pig-mentation, Rogoff's sign, alopecia (groin and exil¬la), Thorn's sign

Dd: Haemochromatosis, porphyria, thyrotoxicosis, anorexia nervosa, malnutrition, malignancy, renal disease, malabsorption, anaemia, postural hypo¬tension, anxiety, stress, hepatic cirrhosis, sprue, myasthenia gravis

Phys: A deficiency in cortisol and/or aldosterone pro¬duction by the adrenal cortex