Addison's Disease

It is easy to notice when the body stops producing cortisol and aldosterone because the individual is highly affected. Symptoms of Addison’s are fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite, a craving for salt, and nausea. 

With Addison’s disease, the adrenal glands stop producing cortisol and aldosterone, two essential hormones. These hormones regulate salt, fluid balance, and blood pressure, and without treatment, survival is impossible. In 1992, researchers now working at our unit showed that the immune system of patients with Addison’s reacts to the enzyme 21-hydroxylase. This is now used in diagnostics at Karolinska, as well as all over the world. The same research network has, with help from the patient organization Swedish Addison Organization, collected samples and clinical information from over 1,000 patients. This is the world’s largest biobank for Addison’s disease and the foundation of a lot of research on the topic.

Addison’s is treated with daily medicine for the rest of the patient’s life. The medicine replaces the hormones (cortisol and aldosterone) that the adrenal gland no longer produces. Our register studies have shown that many Addison’s patients are medicated with too much cortisone, increasing the risk of heart attack and excess mortality. Based on this information, we have developed guidelines that have made an impact both nationally and internationally