Adrenal Insufficiency

🔬Causes & Risk Factors

• 1Primary adrenal insufficiency is most commonly caused by autoimmune destruction of the adrenal glands
• 2in which the immune system mistakenly attacks adrenal tissue
• 3though infections such as tuberculosis can also damage the glands directly. Secondary adrenal insufficiency most often results from long-term use of corticosteroid medications that suppress the body's own hormone production
• 4or from conditions affecting the pituitary gland that reduce its stimulation of the adrenal glands. Abrupt discontinuation of long-term corticosteroid medication is a particularly important preventable cause of adrenal insufficiency and crisis.