Key Takeaways
- Understanding addison disease seniors is important for seniors and their caregivers.
- Symptoms of Addison disease may include any of the following:
- Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms.
- Treatment with replacement corticosteroids and mineralocorticoids will control the symptoms of this disease.
- With hormone therapy, many people with Addison disease are able to lead a nearly normal life.
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Addison disease is a disorder that causes the
adrenal glands
to not produce enough hormones.
What Are the Common Causes and Risk Factors?
Understanding addison disease seniors is important for seniors and their caregivers. the adrenal glands are small hormone-releasing organs located on top of each kidney. They are made up of an outer portion, called the cortex, and an inner portion, called the medulla.
The cortex produces 3 hormones:
-
Glucocorticoid hormones (such as cortisol) maintain sugar (glucose) control, blood pressure, decrease (suppress)
immune response
, and help the body respond to stress.
- Mineralocorticoid hormones (such as aldosterone) regulate sodium, water and potassium balance.
- Sex hormones, androgens (male) and estrogens (female), affect sexual development and sex drive.
Addison disease results from damage to the adrenal cortex. The damage causes the cortex to produce hormone levels that are too low.
This damage may be caused by the following:
-
The immune system mistakenly attacking the adrenal glands (
autoimmune disease
)
-
Infections such as
tuberculosis
, HIV, or fungal infections
- Hemorrhage into the adrenal glands
- Tumors
Risk factors for the autoimmune type of Addison disease include other autoimmune diseases:
-
Swelling (inflammation) of the thyroid gland that often results in reduced thyroid function (
chronic thyroiditis
)
-
Thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone (
overactive thyroid
,
Graves disease
)
-
Itchy rash with bumps and blisters (
dermatitis herpetiformis
)
-
Parathyroid glands in the neck do not produce enough parathyroid hormone (
hypoparathyroidism
)
-
Pituitary gland does not produce normal amounts of some or all of its hormones (
hypopituitarism
)
-
Autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves and the muscles they control (
myasthenia gravis
)
-
Body does not have enough healthy red blood cells (
pernicious anemia
)
-
Testicles cannot produce sperm or male hormones (
testicular failure
also called male hypogonadism)
-
Type I diabetes
-
Loss of brown color (pigment) from areas of the skin (
vitiligo
)
Certain rare genetic defects may also cause adrenal insufficiency.
What Are the Symptoms and Warning Signs?
Symptoms of Addison disease may include any of the following:
- Abdominal pain
-
Chronic diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
- Darkening of the skin
-
Dehydration
- Dizziness when standing up
- Low-grade fever
- Low blood sugar
- Low blood pressure, especially with a change in body position
-
Extreme
weakness
,
fatigue
, and slow, sluggish movement
-
Darker skin on the inside of the cheeks and lips (buccal
mucosa
)
- Salt craving (eating food with a lot of added salt)
- Weight loss with reduced appetite
Symptoms may not be present all the time. Many people have some or all of these symptoms when they have an infection or other stress on the body. Other times, they have no symptoms.
📖 What Are Exams and Tests?
What Are Exams and Tests?
Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms.
Blood tests will likely be ordered and may show:
-
Increased
potassium
-
Low
cortisol level
-
Low
sodium level
- Low pH
- Normal testosterone and estrogen levels, but low DHEA level
-
High
eosinophil count
Additional lab tests may be ordered.
Other tests may include:
-
Abdominal x-ray
-
Abdominal CT scan
-
Cosyntropin (ACTH) stimulation test
📖 How Is It Treated?
How Is It Treated?
Treatment with replacement corticosteroids and mineralocorticoids will control the symptoms of this disease. These medicines usually need to be taken for life.
Never skip doses of your medicine for this condition because life-threatening reactions may occur.
Your provider may tell you to increase your dosage for a short time because of:
- Infection
- Injury
- Stress
- Surgery
During an extreme form of adrenal insufficiency, called
adrenal crisis
, you must inject hydrocortisone right away. Treatment for low blood pressure is usually needed as well.
Some people with Addison disease (or family members) are taught to give themselves an emergency injection of hydrocortisone during stressful situations. Always carry medical ID (card, bracelet, or necklace) that says you have adrenal insufficiency. The ID should also say the type of medicine and dosage you need in case of an emergency.
📖 What Is Outlook (Prognosis)?
What Is Outlook (Prognosis)?
With hormone therapy, many people with Addison disease are able to lead a nearly normal life.
📖 What Are Possible Complications?
What Are Possible Complications?
Complications can occur if you take too little or too much adrenal hormone.
📖 When to Contact a Medical Professional?
When to Contact a Medical Professional?
Contact your provider if:
- You are unable to keep your medicine down due to vomiting.
- You have stress such as infection, injury, trauma, or dehydration. You may need to have your medicine adjusted.
- Your weight increases over time.
- Your ankles begin to swell.
- You develop new symptoms.
-
While taking treatment, you develop signs of a disorder called
Cushing syndrome
If you have symptoms of adrenal crisis, give yourself an emergency injection of your prescribed medicine. If it is not available, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number.
Symptoms of adrenal crisis include:
- Abdominal pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
-
Low blood pressure
- Reduced level of consciousness
Adrenocortical hypofunction; Chronic adrenocortical insufficiency; Primary adrenal insufficiency; Addison’s disease
-
Endocrine glands
Auchus RJ, Pandey CEF. The adrenal cortex. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Rosen CJ, Kopp PA, eds.
Williams Textbook of Endocrinology
. 15h ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 13.
Bornstein SR, Allolio B, Arlt W, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency: an Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
. 2016;101(2):364-389. PMID: 26760044
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26760044/
.
Nieman LK. Adrenal cortex. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds.
Goldman-Cecil Medicine
. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 208.
Updated by: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
-
Addison Disease
Frequently Asked Questions
Key Takeaways
Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. Treatment with replacement corticosteroids and mineralocorticoids will control the symptoms of this disease.
What Are the Common Causes and Risk Factors?
What Are the Symptoms and Warning Signs?
Abdominal pain
Chronic diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
Darkening of the skin
Dehydration
Dizziness when standing up
Low-grade fever
Low blood sugar
Low blood pressure, especially with a change in body position
Extreme
weakness
,
fatigue
, and slow, sluggish movement
Darker skin on the inside of the cheeks and lips (buccal
mucosa
)
Salt craving (eating food with a lot of added salt)
Weight loss with reduced appetite
Symptoms may not be present all the time. Many people have some or all of these symptoms when they have an infection or other stress on the body. Other times, they have no symptoms.
What Are Exams and Tests?
Increased
potassium
Low
cortisol level
Low
sodium level
Low pH
Normal testosterone and estrogen levels, but low DHEA level
High
eosinophil count
Additional lab tests may be ordered. Other tests may include:
Abdominal x-ray
Abdominal CT scan
Cosyntropin (ACTH) stimulation test
📖 How Is It Treated?
How Is It Treated?
About the Author: This article was researched and written by the SilverWell Hub editorial team. It was medically reviewed by Dr. Sarah Mitchell, MD, Geriatrics.
Sources: This article is adapted from MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. See our full Medical Disclaimer.
Published: July 21, 2026 | Next review: January 2027
