Adrenal insufficiency occurs when your adrenal glands don’t make enough of certain vital hormones. Adrenal insufficiency can be either primary (also known as Addison’s disease) or secondary (related to malfunction of the pituitary gland). Living with adrenal insufficiency can be dangerous. A complication of adrenal insufficiency is an adrenal crisis, caused by insufficient levels of cortisol. An adrenal crisis can be brought on by physical stress to your body, such as infection, dehydration, trauma, or surgery, or not taking your medication properly.
Someone having an adrenal crisis may exhibit profound weakness, headache, sluggish movement, nausea or vomiting, or shaking chills. Untreated, an adrenal crisis can lead to shock, coma, or even death. It is critical that you are treated immediately with an injection of stress dose hydrocortisone.
One thing you shouldn’t worry about is what could happen if there’s an emergency. MedicAlert’s protection plans offer benefits that extend beyond the ID, providing safety and peace of mind for people living with adrenal insufficiency, their families and caregivers.
Our team provides first responders the information they need to provide fast, accurate care.
All your vital information, all in one place for you and your caregiver.
In an emergency, we connect families so that no one is alone in a crisis.
Share the information that’s important to your care, such as use of rescue medications or contraindication for tests like MRIs.
Pair a medical ID for adrenal insufficiency with the protection plan that’s right for you.
There are two types of adrenal insufficiency that individuals may experience. Both types of adrenal insufficiency result in low production of the hormone cortisol, but the reason behind this low production determines the type of adrenal insufficiency you have. The different types of adrenal insufficiency are secondary adrenal insufficiency and primary adrenal insufficiency (which is also known as Addison’s disease).
Primary adrenal insufficiency occurs as a result of damage to the adrenal glands. While this condition is rare, it can start at any age as a result of various genetic and environmental factors. The damaged adrenal glands are unable to produce sufficient amounts of important hormones such as cortisol, a hormone responsible for stress management in the brain, as well as various bodily functions such as digestion, blood pressure management and the immune system. Regular levels of the hormone aldosterone are also affected, which affects your body’s ability to regulate salt and water levels, further affecting blood pressure.
Secondary adrenal insufficiency arises when the body’s pituitary gland is unable to produce enough of the hormone ACTH, leading to lowered cortisol production by the adrenal glands. This can happen because of prolonged steroid use, or due to conditions such as loss of blood flow to the pituitary gland or radiation therapy. Living with secondary adrenal insufficiency can cause a variety of symptoms, so it’s important that you know what to expect and how others can help you to live safely and happily.
An adrenal crisis can look like a lot of other conditions. My MedicAlert ID tells people about my adrenal insufficiency so I can get the right treatment, right away.
Meet our member, Vanessa, who is living with adrenal insufficiency, and learn how she manages the daily challenges of living with a rare condition.
In both types of adrenal insufficiency, the reduced level of vital hormones in the body can produce uncomfortable symptoms that affect your everyday life. These include weakness, fatigue, dizziness, muscle aches, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, and low blood sugar levels. For people who have primary adrenal insufficiency, otherwise known as Addison’s disease, they may experience a darkened skin color as well as discoloring of the nipples, mouth, rectum, scrotum, or vagina. Women who have adrenal insufficiency may experience irregular or absent menstrual cycles.
These symptoms may affect your day-to-day activities, so it’s important to recognize symptoms and try not to overexert yourself if you are experiencing any. Notifying your employer or co-workers about possible symptoms is also a good idea so that they are able to accommodate your needs.
Sometimes, you may find yourself experiencing more severe symptoms than normal. This usually indicates an adrenal crisis, which is a sudden severe insufficiency of cortisol. An adrenal crisis can occur as a result of strain on the body, such as dehydration, trauma, infection, or surgery. During an adrenal crisis, you may experience a sudden worsening of symptoms associated with adrenal insufficiency. It is important that you immediately seek medical attention if you are experiencing an adrenal crisis, since an adrenal crisis can result in shock, seizures, or coma if left untreated.
MedicAlert offers free custom engraving on all our adrenal insufficiency bracelets. The engraving on medical IDs for adrenal insufficiency should include any critical medical information that can protect and save your life if you are in an accident or have a medical emergency, including:
Sample engraving. Consult our team if you need help engraving your medical ID for adrenal insufficiency.
You should wear a medical alert tag at all times. This can make sure you get proper treatment if there is an emergency. When traveling always carry an emergency kit with a shot of cortisol.
