Adrenal Crisis in Emergency Medicine

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Primary adrenal insufficiency

Primary adrenal insufficiency, which can be acute or chronic, may be caused by

the anatomic destruction of the gland. This destruction can have various causes,

including tuberculosis or fungal infection, other diseases infiltrating the

adrenal glands, and hemorrhage. However, the most frequent cause is idiopathic

atrophy, which is probably autoimmune in origin.

Primary adrenal insufficiency also may be caused by metabolic failure (eg,

insufficient hormone production). This failure may be a result of congenital

adrenal hyperplasia, enzyme inhibitors (eg, metyrapone), or cytotoxic agents

(eg, mitotane).

Primary adrenocortical insufficiency is rare and occurs at any age. The

male-to-female ratio is 1:1.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/765753-overview

God Bless !!

dragonflymcs

Mayleen