Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: Diagnosis and Management (According to the 17th European Congress of Endocrinology, Dublin, Ireland 16–20 May, 2015)

Abstract

Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI, Addison’s disease) — treatable disease, remains potentially lethal. PAI is often detected in the state of adrenal crisis, and timely emergency treatment can prevent the death. To minimize the risk of both adrenal crises and side effects of substitution therapy for this disease, there are extremely important individualization of treatment regimens (optimal drugs are hydrocortisone preparations combined with fludrocortisone), detection of associated autoimmune diseases, patient’s training of both to adjust the daily therapy and to do self-injections of glucocorticoids in moderately severe comorbidities. Life expectancy of patients with adequate therapy and regular monitoring does not differ from the average one.