Addison's Disease

Addison’s Disease – General Information

Addison’s Disease – Symptoms

Addison’s Disease – Treatment

The main treatment in the curing process of the Addison’s Disease is the replacement of the missing aldosterone, and in some cases, providing therapy for replacement of cortisol. If the patient suffers a surgery or becomes pregnant, caution is the first measure taken. Due to the lack of corisol and aldosterone, which cause Addison’s Disease, the first stage of the treatment is to replace them with similar steroids. Cortisol is in most of the cases replaced, by an oral way, by cortisone acetate or hydrocortisone tablets taken in doses, ones in the morning and ones in the afternoon doses. Aldosterone is replaced by an aldosterone synthetic steroid called fludrocortisone or Florinef tablets given once a day. These prescriptions are given depending on each patient, on their any existing medical conditions. As an urgent measure, if the patient suffers a surgery, hydrocortisone is administrated IV (intravenously).

Patients suffering with Addison's Disease should consider a way to treat minor illnesses using extra salt and fluids. This type of measure is taken if the patient’s symptoms include fever, vomiting or diarrhea. The persistence of these signs, leads to an immediate treatment including the process taken in an emergency room, where the doctor injects intravenous saline, salt water, and hydrocortisone. Since this type of disease is considered to be a chronic condition, every day replacement medication can never be stopped. If the crisis is installed, also known as Addisonian crisis, the treatment includes the injection of a steroid preparation through a needle IV (intravenously). Dehydration and salt loss symptoms will also receive the treatment by administering, with all safe measures taken, balanced solutions through the intravenously way. If the pressure of the patient’s blood goes down to a dangerous low level, medications are safely administered to elevate it until the steroids can be effective. If a patient suffers of the Addison’s Disease, he have to take, for the rest of his life, a prescribed steroid preparation, or hydrocortisone, and a replacement for aldosterone, called fludrocortisone, administered orally. If one of the patients encounters symptoms like Nausea and Vomiting, when they cannot hold down their medications, he or she will have to seek for medical attention to get, by intravenously way, the medications needed. Also, when suffers an injury or has any kind of infection, the normal dose of the replacement steroid will need to be doubled.

The symptoms like low blood pressure, low level of blood sugar, and high levels of potassium, during an Addisonian crisis, can threaten the life of the patient.  The standard therapy of treating Addison’s Disease includes injection of hydrocortisone, or salt water (saline), and sugar (dextrose). The treatment applied is in most of the cases effective. The dose of hydrocortisone is decreased when the patient takes fluids and the medications prescribed, by mouth, and stops when an amount of steroid is achieved. Maintenance therapy can include doses of fludrocortisone acetate taken by mouth if the level of aldosterone is low.  The treatment medication for this disorder that is taken by the mother is usually considered safe for baby during a pregnancy.