Addison's Disease Research Paper

Addison’s disease or hypercortisolism, is a serious endocrinological disorder characterized by insufficient hormone levels. Those insufficient hormone levels can cause a variety of symptoms that affect most human body systems. Due to the wide range of problems it may cause, it is frequently unrecognized in its early stages.1 Homeostasis cannot be achieved during hormone imbalances. When vital hormones are not being secreted correctly can cause impaired organ systems. Therefore, this paper will discuss how Addison’s affects homeostasis of the body in relation to each human body system.
First off, Addison’s disease is a rare disorder that affects 1 in 100,000 people.6 It was first discovered in 1855 by Thomas Addison, who recorded patients suffering …show more content…
Addison’s is technically an endocrinological disorder, but most endocrinological disorders affect many different body systems. For example, some symptom of Addison’s disease is nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. These specific symptoms resemble what most people would view as a gastrointestinal disorder of some kind.7 Another example of mimic symptoms would be irritability and depression. They are both commonly associated with psychiatric diseases but coupled with the signs and symptoms above, are much more.7 Specifically, cortisol controls blood sugar levels, regulates metabolism, helps reduce inflammation, and helps form memories.2 Without enough cortisol, the body is unable to to perform those basic functions. Likewise, people with Addison’s do not have sufficient aldosterone levels. Aldosterone regulates blood pressure, so when a person has too much or too little aldosterone, their blood pressure is too high or too low. The last hormone that causes Addison’s disease is dehydroepiandrosterone. Dehydroepiandrosterone regulates estrogen and androgen- female and male sex hormones. A lack of dehydroepiandrosterone causes loss of body hair in males, and sexual dysfunction in …show more content…
Addison’s is technically an endocrinological disorder but mimics several systemic dysfunctions. Since cortisol is a stress hormone, when it is out of balance it puts extra stress on the body to perform homeostasis.2 Because most body cells have cortisol receptors, cortisol affects many different functions in the body. Aldosterone greatly affects cardiovascular health. It affects the bodies ability to regulate blood pressure. It also sends signals to the to organs like the kidney and colon, that increase the amount of sodium, sent into the bloodstream or amount of potassium released in the urine. Without proper levels of aldosterone, the body might or excrete too much sodium or potassium.3 As stated earlier in this paper, symptoms of a sodium deficiency include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and lethargia. Symptoms of a potassium deficiency include weakness, tiredness, nausea, and vomiting. The symptoms of the two deficiencies are extremely similar to those of Addison’s disease. Within a normal negative feedback loop involving the adrenal cortex, the hypothalamus releases a hypothalamic inhibitory or hormones to the anterior pituitary. Then the anterior pituitary releases ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) to the adrenal cortex. The adrenal cortex releases glucocorticoids (to increase glucose levels or replenish glucose during or after stressful situations) or mineralocorticoids (to

Show More

Related Documents: Addison's Disease Research Paper

NCLEX RN Cramsheet Essay