Adrenal insufficiency: Year of the Zebra

We live in a world dominated by increasing stress in daily life. Using the adrenal glands (among others), our bodies usually react to various stressors by secreting hormones that activate our fight or flight response. Today’s Zebra, Adrenal Insufficiency is characterized by an inability to secrete adrenal hormones such as cortisol. It poses a diagnostic challenge, especially in its chronic form, because the symptoms are not specific. Manifestations such as fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and loss of libido are often mislabeled as facts of life or completely different diagnoses by both patients themselves and their physicians. A special situation called an adrenal crisis can be life-threatening. There are a whole array of potential causes. To learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of Adrenal Insufficiency, watch the dedicated Osmosis video on Youtube and on Osmosis.