Addison's Disease
Addison's disease is a disorder that occurs when your body produces inadequate amounts of certain hormones produced by your adrenal glands. Medical science says that in this disease, the adrenal glands of an individual produce very little cortisol and often inadequate levels of aldosterone as well. Also known as adrenal insufficiency, this disease occurs in all age groups and affects both the genders and can be life threatening.
Causes of Addison's Disease
This disease occurs when your adrenal glands are dented, which leads to the production of inadequate amounts of hormone cortisol and often aldosterone as well. These glands are located just above the kidneys. As part of your endocrine system, they produce hormones that give instructions to almost every organ and tissue in your body.
Adrenal Dysgenesis
All causes in this category are genetic and usually are very rare. These include mutations to the SF1 transcription factor, congenital adrenal hypoplasia due to DAX-1 gene mutations and mutations to the ACTH receptor gene (or related genes, such as in the Triple A or Allgrove syndrome). DAX-1 mutations might cluster in a syndrome with glycerol kinase shortage with a number of other symptoms when DAX-1 is deleted together with a number of other genes.
Impaired Steroidogenesis
In order to form cortisol, the adrenal gland requires cholesterol, which is then converted biochemically into steroid hormones. Interruptions in the delivery of cholesterol include Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome and abetalipoproteinemia. Of the synthesis problems, congenital adrenal hyperplasia is the most common, lipod CAH due to shortage of STAR and mitochondrial DNA mutations.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will talk to you initially about your medical history and your signs and symptoms and if he thinks that you might have this disease then you could undergo some of the following tests:
Blood Test : Measuring your blood levels of sodium, potassium, cortisol and ACTH gives your doctor a primary indication of whether adrenal inadequacy might be causing your signs and symptoms. Antibodies related with autoimmune Addison's disease can also be measured by a blood test.
Imaging Tests : Your doctor might have you undergo a computerized tomography (CT) scan of your abdomen to check the size of your adrenal glands and look for other abnormalities that could give insight to the cause of the adrenal inadequacy. Your doctor could also recommend a MRI scan of your pituitary gland if testing points towards secondary adrenal inadequacy.
ACTH Stimulation Test : This test involves measuring the level of cortisol in your blood prior to and after an injection of synthetic ACTH. ACTH signals your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. If at all your adrenal glands get damaged, the ACTH stimulation test shows that your output of cortisol in response to synthetic ACTH is restricted or nonexistent.
Homeopathic Treatment
Homeopathy treats the individual as a whole which means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person along with his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are chosen after a full individualizing examination and case analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution, family history, possible causative factors etc. Other factors such as mental, emotional and physical stress are also looked for. For more information, you can log on to www.drnikam.com