Whats Addison's disease?

kidney or liver trouble.medical enquiry

Addison's disease is an endocrine or hormonal disorder that occurs in all age groups and afflicts men and women equally. The disease is characterized by weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin in both exposed and nonexposed parts of the body.

Addison's disease occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormone cortisol and, in some cases, the hormone aldosterone. The disease is also called adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism.

Kidney more specifically your cortex, most likely caused by an autoimmune problem but may be caused from TB.

Addison's disease is an endocrine or hormonal disorder that occurs in all age groups and afflicts men and women equally. The disease is characterized by weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin in both exposed and nonexposed parts of the body.

Addison's disease occurs when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormone cortisol and, in some cases, the hormone aldosterone. The disease is also called adrenal insufficiency, or hypocortisolism.

Cortisol

Cortisol is normally produced by the adrenal glands, located just above the kidneys. It belongs to a class of hormones called glucocorticoids, which affect almost every organ and tissue in the body. Scientists think that cortisol has possibly hundreds of effects in the body. Cortisol's most important job is to help the body respond to stress. Among its other vital tasks, cortisol

helps maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular function
helps slow the immune system's inflammatory response
helps balance the effects of insulin in breaking down sugar for energy
helps regulate the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
helps maintain proper arousal and sense of well-being
Because cortisol is so vital to health, the amount of cortisol produced by the adrenals is precisely balanced. Like many other hormones, cortisol is regulated by the brain's hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, a bean-sized organ at the base of the brain. First, the hypothalamus sends "releasing hormones" to the pituitary gland. The pituitary responds by secreting hormones that regulate growth and thyroid and adrenal function, and sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. One of the pituitary's main functions is to secrete ACTH (adrenocorticotropin), a hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands. When the adrenals receive the pituitary's signal in the form of ACTH, they respond by producing cortisol. Completing the cycle, cortisol then signals the pituitary to lower secretion of ACTH.

Addison's disease is an insidious, usually progressive hypofunctioning of the adrenal cortex. It produces various symptoms, including hypotension and hyperpigmentation, and can lead to adrenal crisis with cardiovascular collapse. Diagnosis is clinical and by finding elevated plasma ACTH with low plasma cortisol. Treatment depends on the cause but generally includes hydrocortisone and sometimes other hormones.
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Addison's disease is a disorder of the adrenal glands. These two glands are located above each kidney. The outer layers of the glands produce cortisol and aldosterone, two of the body's essential hormones (chemicals). The gradual destruction of those outer layers during the disease causes less and less of those hormones to be produced, with serious effects resulting in the body.
What causes it?
Most cases of Addison's disease (about 70%) are caused by an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's antibodies attack healthy tissues. Other, more rare, causes of destruction of the adrenal glands may be:

Tuberculosis (about 20% of cases)
Chronic infections, such as fungal infections
Invasion of the adrenal glands by cancer cells from another part of the body
Amyloidosis (protein deposits)
Addison's disease is a disorder of the adrenal glands. These two glands are located above each kidney. The outer layers of the glands produce cortisol and aldosterone, two of the body's essential hormones (chemicals). The gradual destruction of those outer layers during the disease causes less and less of those hormones to be produced, with serious effects resulting in the body.
What causes it?
Most cases of Addison's disease (about 70%) are caused by an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's antibodies attack healthy tissues. Other, more rare, causes of destruction of the adrenal glands may be:

Tuberculosis (about 20% of cases)
Chronic infections, such as fungal infections
Invasion of the adrenal glands by cancer cells from another part of the body
Amyloidosis (protein deposits)