addison's disease feet symptoms
People who have Addison’s disease may experience the following symptoms: weakness in the muscles; fatigue and tiredness; darkening in skin color ; weight loss or decreased appetite; a decrease in heart rate or blood pressure; low blood sugar levels; fainting spells; sores in the mouth; cravings for salt; nausea; vomiting; irritability or depression These glands make hormones essential to a healthy life. When they don't make enough of these hormones, Addison's disease is the result. Addison's disease is a rare condition. Only one in 100,000 people has it. It can happen at any age to either men or women. People with Addison's disease can lead normal lives as long as they take their medication. President John F. Kennedy had the condition. In Addison's disease, called primary adrenal insufficiency, the adrenal glands don't make enough of a hormone called cortisol, or less often, a related hormone called aldosterone. Because the estimated prevalence of Addison disease is one in 20,000 persons in the United States and Western Europe, a high clinical suspicion is needed to avoid misdiagnosing a life-threatening adrenal crisis.8 Signs and symptoms can be subtle and nonspecific. Addison disease is usually diagnosed after a significant stress or illness unmasks cortisol and mineralocorticoid deficiency, presenting as shock, hypotension, and volume depletion (adrenal or addisonian crisis).11 Cortisol and aldosterone deficiencies contribute to hypotension, orthostasis, and shock; however, adrenal crisis is more likely to occur in primary adrenal insufficiency compared with secondary adrenal insufficiency. Primary adrenal insufficiency, or Addison disease, has many causes, the most common of which is autoimmune adrenalitis. Autoimmune adrenalitis results from destruction of the adrenal cortex, which leads to deficiencies in glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and adrenal androgens. What Causes Addison's Disease? Most cases of Addison’s disease result from a problem with the adrenal glands themselves (primary adrenal insufficiency). Autoimmune disease accounts for 70% of Addison’s disease. This occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the adrenal glands. In the United States and Western Europe, the estimated prevalence of Addison disease is one in 20,000 persons; therefore, a high clinical suspicion is needed to avoid misdiagnosing a life-threatening adrenal crisis (i.e., shock, hypotension, and volume depletion). Because symptoms of Addison's disease progress slowly, they may go unrecognized until a physically stressful event, such as another illness, surgery, or an accident, worsens symptoms quickly. When this happens, it's called an Addisonian crisis. For one in four people with Addison's disease, this is the first time they realize they are ill. An Addisonian crisis is considered a medical emergency because it can be fatal. Symptoms of an Addisonian crisis include: Shock, when the body does not get enough blood flow; Sudden penetrating pain in the lower back, abdomen, or legs What Are the Symptoms of Addison's Disease? Over time, Addison's disease leads to these symptoms: Chronic fatigue and muscle weakness; Loss of appetite, inability to digest food, and weight loss; Low blood pressure (hypotension) that falls further when standing; this causes dizziness, sometimes to the point of fainting. Articles with abstracts that were published in English within the past five years were the primary focus; older literature on the signs, symptoms, and diagnosis of Addison disease were cited as appropriate. Search dates: December 2011 and October 2013.
Addison's disease feet symptoms are weakness in the muscles, fatigue and tiredness, darkening in skin color, weight loss or decreased appetite, a decrease in heart rate or blood pressure, low blood sugar levels.