The key difference between adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease is that adrenal fatigue is a disorder that occurs when adrenal glands function below the necessary level due to chronic stress, while Addison’s disease is a disorder that occurs when adrenal glands do not produce adequate levels of certain hormones.
Adrenal glands, also called suprarenal glands, are small, triangular-shaped glands situated on top of the kidneys. The hormones produced by the adrenal glands regulate metabolism, the immune system, response to stress, blood pressure, and other essential functions in the human body. Adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease are two uncommon disorders that are associated with adrenal glands.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Adrenal Fatigue
3. What is Addison’s Disease
4. Similarities – Adrenal Fatigue and Addison’s Disease
5. Adrenal Fatigue vs Addison’s Disease in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Adrenal Fatigue vs Addison’s Disease
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
The term “adrenal fatigue” was coined by James Wilson, who was an expert in alternative medicine. He described adrenal fatigue as a group of related signs and symptoms displayed when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. He stated this was due to chronic intense stress and chronic infections like bronchitis, flu, and pneumonia often follow it. According to the “Wilson theory,” if people have long-term stress, their adrenal glands burn out from the prolonged production of hormones like cortisol. This sets in adrenal fatigue. The symptoms of adrenal fatigue include fatigue, poor stress response, brain fog, increased energy levels in the evening, carvings for salty and sweet foods, a compromised immune system, insomnia, overuse of caffeine and other stimulants, frequent urination, loss of muscle tone, poor circulation, depression, weight gain, and decreased libido or low sex drive.
Moreover, adrenal fatigue can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood test, and psychological examination. There are different treatment options for adrenal fatigue, including intravenous vitamin therapy, eating a meal within an hour after waking, skipping processed foods, avoiding high-impact exercise, taking lots of fresh air, taking B vitamins, getting lots of sleep, refraining from caffeine, taking magnesium-rich foods and organic veggies, hydration, Epsom salt baths, meditation, and eating regular meals.
What is Addison’s Disease?
Addison’s disease, also called adrenal insufficiency, is a disease that occurs when adrenal glands do not produce adequate amounts of certain hormones. In Addison’s disease, the adrenal glands often produce too little cortisol and aldosterone. The signs and symptoms of this disease are extreme fatigue, weight loss, decreased appetite, hyperpigmentation, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle or joint pain, irritability, depression, hair loss in the body, and sexual dysfunction in the women. Addison’s disease is caused due to damage to the adrenal glands. The other causes include tuberculosis, infection in the adrenal glands, the spread of cancer to the adrenal glands, and bleeding into the adrenal glands.
Addison’s disease can be diagnosed through medical history, blood tests, ACTH stimulation tests, insulin-induced hypoglycemia tests, and imaging tests (CT scan and MRI). Furthermore, the treatment options for Addison’s disease include taking hydrocortisone to replace cortisol, taking fludrocortisone acetate to replace aldosterone, carrying a medical alert card all the time, keeping extra medication handy, carrying a glucocorticoid injection kit, having annual checkups, implanting pumps under the skin that can deliver steroids in accurate doses, using adrenocortical stem cells combined with immunomodulatory treatment, and gene therapy.
What are the Similarities Between Adrenal Fatigue and Addison’s Disease?
- Adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease are two uncommon disorders associated with adrenal glands.
- They are endocrine system disorders.
- Both conditions trigger abnormal levels of hormones such as cortisol in the body.
- These conditions can be diagnosed through blood tests.
- They can be treated through lifestyle changes and specific medicines.
What is the Difference Between Adrenal Fatigue and Addison’s Disease?
Adrenal fatigue is a disorder that occurs when adrenal glands function below the necessary level due to chronic stress (long-term stress), while Addison’s disease is a disorder that occurs when adrenal glands do not produce enough of certain hormones. Thus, this is the key difference between adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease. Furthermore, adrenal fatigue is due to over-reactive adrenal glands, while Addison’s disease is due to under-reactive adrenal glands.
The below infographic presents the differences between adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Adrenal Fatigue vs Addison’s Disease
Adrenal glands are endocrine glands located on the top of the kidneys. Adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease are two uncommon endocrine disorders related to adrenal glands. In adrenal fatigue, adrenal glands function below the necessary level due to chronic stress, while in Addison’s disease, adrenal glands do not produce enough of certain hormones. So, this is the key difference between adrenal fatigue and Addison’s disease. Both these diseases can be treated through lifestyle changes and specific medicines.
Reference:
1. “Adrenal Fatigue: Is It Real? Symptoms, Causes, Treatments.” WebMD.
2. “Addison’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis” By Raabe FJ and Spengler D – Raabe FJ and Spengler D (2013) Epigenetic risk factors in PTSD and depression. Front. Psychiatry 4:80. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00080 (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Addison’s Legs” By James Heilman, MD – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia