Addison’s crisis secondary to steriod withdrawal: a case study

Addison’s disease is an autoimmune condition causing the destruction of adrenal cortex leading to the production of deficit amount of adrenal hormones. The condition is very severe and rare because the adrenal hormones i.e. Glucocorticoids and Mineralocorticoid that are involved in modulating salt, energy and fluid homeostasis are being altered. Addison’s Crisis secondary to withdrawal of steroid therapy is usually infrequent and said to be due to inappropriate discontinuation or excessive of this therapy. The symptoms happen to correlate with the pathological changes of adrenal antibodies with the endocrine gland and account for its severity. The following manifestations are drawn from it: fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension, hypoglycemia and hyper pigmentation of the skin. The diagnosis is usually confirmed by measuring the cortisol level or adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration. Lastly, the treatment involves the replacement of hormones.