Addison 's Disease : Lauren E. Brown

Another test that one can perform to measure the effect of an adrenal tumor is performing an ACTH test, which measures the level of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the blood. ACTH is a hormone that is produced from the pituitary gland in the brain. Thus by performing the test one can get information about its concentration in the serum. Usually if adrenal mass is influencing the corticosteroid levels the test will show a higher level of cortisol while giving a lower level of ACTH levels.

Adrenaline is hormone that is secreted by your adrenal

Addison 's disease is a disorder that occurs when a person 's adrenal glands produce insufficient amounts of certain hormones. When Addison 's diseased was first discovered the endocrine system was not yet completely understood therefore the disease itself was for the most part fatal. After years of research and medical breakthroughs Addison 's disease is now a disease in which someone can live a normal life as long as a daily dose of replacement

The last glands are the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys, and have an inner core and an outer layer. The inner core is called the adrenal medulla, and the outer layer is known as the adrenal cortex.

Cortisol plays a major role in the development of this disorder. It is secreted by the adrenal gland, located above the kidneys, in a precise sequence of events. The hypothalamus directs corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH) to the pituitary gland.1 CRH causes the pituitary to release adrenocorticotropin hormone(ACTH) activate the adrenal glands.1 The adrenal glands pick up the ACTH, they reciprocate by releasing cortisol in the bloodstream.1 Cortisol helps with quite a few of your body functions. Some of these functions are stress response, balancing the effects of insulin, reducing the immune system’s inflammatory response, regulating

Within the human body, many functions are regulated by the endocrine glands, which secrete hormones. Abnormal levels of any of these hormones can lead to a number of disease states. One of these hormones is cortisol which is produced by the adrenal gland. Excess levels of cortisol can manifest in Cushing disease and Cushing syndrome, with a variety of symptoms, test methods and treatments.

Addison’s disease is also known as Adrenocortical Insufficiency, which means the adrenal cortex does not produce enough hormones (Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing, 2015). Addison’s disease occurs when the adrenal glands, above the kidneys, don’t make enough hormones that are essential to normal body functions (Understanding Addison’s Disease, n.d.). The most common cause of Addison’s disease is due to the adrenal cortex being abnormally small or atrophied. This causes the adrenal cortex to not produce as many hormones (Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing, 2015).

Addison’s disease, also known as hypocortisolism or hypoadrenalism is a chronic life threatening adrenal insufficiency. This rare disease occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough cortisol. This disease can happen if your adrenal or pituitary gland is damaged. The body’s immune system can also attack the adrenal system causing damage to the glands. Addison was harmed in 1849 by thomas addison's the doctor who first diagnosed the condition. Approximately 9000 men and women of all ages each year in the united states are diagnosed with addisons.

Adrenal glands are endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys (Shier et al., 2009). The adrenal glands secrete hormones that increase heart rate, the force of cardiac muscle contraction, breathing rate, elevate blood pressure and blood glucose level. This activity prepares the body foe energy expending action, sometimes called fight or flight responses (Shier et al., 2009).

In a large number of cases, the disease has a gradual onset, thus the diagnosis can be made only when the affected individual presents with an acute crisis due to an inadequate rise in cortisol secretion during a physiologic stress. Such acute adrenal insufficiency (also known as the Addisonian crisis) is a medical emergency.

Adrenal gland is pyramidal shape gland situated above each kidney. They are consisted of two parts, which is adrenal medulla (internal part) and adrenal cortex (external part). Each gland only weight four gram. These parts are like the anterior and posterior pituitary, are two functionally distinct endocrine glands.

The cause of Addison’s disease is the result of the adrenal glands being damaged and producing insufficient amounts of cortisol and aldosterone as well. The adrenal glands are located just above the kidneys. Being part of the endocrine system, the adrenal glands produce hormones that give instructions to almost every organ and tissue in the body.

     Addison’s disease is a disorder of the endocrine system. It is a hormonal disorder that can strike anyone, any gender at any age. Addison’s disease has also been called Adrenal Insufficiency (hypocortisolism) because the root of the disease is in the adrenal gland not producing enough of the hormone cortisol, or sometimes not enough of the hormone aldosterone to satisfy the body’s needs.

Adrenal glands, located near the kidneys, secrete several hormones that are activated by the nervous system. These hormones dictate the body’s reaction to stressful situations. Each person secretes a different amount of hormones, therefore affecting behavior in stressful situations differently (Morris & Maisto, 2005).

ACTH-independent Cushings Syndrome typically originates from abnormalities of the adrenal gland. Adrenal adenoma and adrenal carcinoma occur when there is a benign or cancerous tumor on the adrenal gland. These tumors can cause over production of cortisol, disrupting homeostasis. Other diseases like Carney complex and McCune Albright syndrome have also been associated with abnormalities of the adrenal gland, causing overproduction of cortisol. A final form of cushings syndrome is exogenous glucocorticoid administration.