Addison's disease

Rare condition caused by destruction of the outer part of the adrenal glands, leading to reduced secretion of corticosteroid hormones; it is treated by replacement of these hormones. The condition, formerly fatal, is mostly caused by autoimmune disease or tuberculosis. Symptoms include weight loss, anaemia, weakness, low blood pressure, digestive upset, and brownish pigmentation of the skin.

Addison's disease is rare in children and in those over 60 years of age. It is commonest in the second and third decades. There is no cure, but patients can live normal lives when given regular treatment with adrenal hormones. It is named after Thomas Addison, the London physician who first described it 1849 and more fully 1855.