Adrenal insufficiency is a rare health condition that affects the way the glands in the body produce vital hormones such as cortisol. If you suffer from adrenal insufficiency, it can be associated with a massive range of painful and uncomfortable symptoms that can include nausea, darkening of the skin, and a generally lowered immunity to infections and disease.
While it’s a rare disorder, it’s one that’s more common than you might think, and displaying any of the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency should make an appointment with their doctor as soon as they can to find the root cause of the disorder and treat it where possible.
It’s key for diagnosis to be able to spot the symptoms of the disorder and recognize them if they were to happen to you.
Here are 8 mind-blowing facts about adrenal insufficiency that you should know – and can help you to manage the disease if you are ever diagnosed.
1. It’s an Autoimmune Disorder
Adrenal deficiency is technically classed as one of many different types of autoimmune disorders; even though it’s one of the rarer ones, it still shares one characteristic with the rest of the disorders in this group: Autoimmune disorders involve the body attacking its own immune system when it mistakenly sees a component of the immune system as an intruder.
This means that your immune system will be compromised overall if you have been diagnosed with any of the autoimmune disorders – and the same characteristic is shared by adrenal insufficiency, which can be a very serious manifestation of the condition that should always be monitored to ensure it doesn’t become an issue.
People diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency should take care to keep a close eye on their immune systems to ensure that they don’t get sick as often or as easily when exposed to viruses and bacteria which can be the case with a compromised immune system.