Overview of Adrenal diseases

Primary Adrenal Insufficiency, also called Addison’s disease, is a severe or total deficiency of the hormones made in the adrenal cortex, caused by its destruction.

Secondary adrenal insufficiency is due to the absence of the normal stimulation to the adrenal cortex from a lack of ACTH. This results in a partial or total deficiency of cortisol, but often a normal or near normal production of aldosterone.

This article focuses on children who present with adrenal insufficiency either as a newborn or in childhood. It highlights the causes, symptoms and treatments to children specifically.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, also called CAH, is a group of genetic disorders in which the two adrenal glands do not work properly.

Cushing’s syndrome is a disease caused by an excess of cortisol production or by excessive use of cortisol or other similar steroid (glucocorticoid) hormones.

A very common finding using imaging of the chest and abdomen with CT and MRI is an unsuspected adrenal mass with a diameter of more than 1 cm, now referred to as an adrenal incidentaloma.

Primary aldosteronism is a disease caused by an excess production of the normal adrenal hormone aldosterone. This hormone is responsible for sodium and potassium balance, which then directly controls water balance to maintain appropriate blood pressure and blood volume.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is an inherited male-limited disorder that can affect the nervous system and the adrenal glands. Its prevalence is estimated at about 1 in 15,000-20,000 individuals, and has been diagnosed more often since the advent of newborn screening for ALD.​

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are tumors of the chromaffin cells that arise within the adrenal medulla. They belong to a group of diseases termed neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).