Addison's Disease

The disease is named for its discoverer, Dr. Thomas Addison, a British surgeon who described adrenal insufficiency in 1849, though endocrine functions had yet to be explained. Addison described the condition from autopsies he performed. At the time, there was no cure for adrenal insufficiency, so victims died after contracting it. Addison also noted that 70-90% of patients with adrenal insufficiency had tuberculosis as well.

Addison's disease is no longer a fatal illness if it is properly diagnosed. Today, doctors note that up to 70% of cases are the result of the adrenal cortex being destroyed by the body's own immune system, so Addison's is called an autoimmune disease. Those who have sustained an injury to the adrenal gland and people who have diabetes are at increased risk of Addison's disease. Tuberculosis is also linked to the disease, but since this disease can now be cured, Addison's disease is rarely caused by tuberculosis today.