When you are stressed, in athletic training or even pregnant, you will have a lot of cortisol in your system. However, when you have too little, it is called Addison's Disease.
While anyone can develop this disease, it is most common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. It is also important to note that this condition typically comes on quite slowly over the period of several months according to the MayoClinic. Common symptoms include:
You should see your physician right away if you have any of these symptoms. However, if you have any of the following, you need medical care immediately. They are signs of a more severe form of the disease called acute adrenal failure.
-Low blood pressure -Fainting -Pain in the back -Pain in the abdomen -Pain in the legs -Vomiting -Diarrhea -Dehydration -Loss of consciousness
Addison's Disease can be caused by many things, however the primarily culprit is typically autoimmune disease. Essentially, your body begins to attack the adrenal cortex as though it were a virus or germ, preventing the production of cortisol. Other causes include cancer, bleeding in the adrenal glands, infections and tuberculosis.
A blood test is the most common method of diagnosing this disease. But before you head off to the doctor?unless your symptoms are severe?you may wish to take an at-home test. These tests can detect various substances in the body and determine whether or not you have the appropriate amounts. While an at home wellness panel test cannot provide a diagnosis for any disease, it can act as a signal to you that you may have a problem and may need to see a doctor about it. This is especially the case for people who may not have been experiencing any symptoms of a condition, but the test points out a level of a hormone or substance that is extremely high or extremely low. So high or low that it is a cause for concern.
Who knows? With one of these at home tests you may be able to prevent the onset of a disease or catch it in its earliest stages.
The symptoms of Chagas' disease vary over the course of the infection. In the early, acute stage symptoms are mild and are usually no more than local swelling at the site of infection. As the disease progresses, over as much as twenty years, the serious chronic symptoms appear, such as heart disease and malformation of the intestines. If untreated, the chronic disease is often fatal. Current drug treatments for this disease are generally unsatisfactory, with the available drugs being highly toxic and often ineffective, particularly in the chronic stage of the disease.
Much of the clinical information about Chagas disease comes from experience with people who became infected as children through vectorborne transmission. The severity and course of infection might be different in people infected at other times of life, in other ways, or with different strains of the T. cruzi parasite.
Usually a small sore develops at the bite where the parasite enters the body. If this is near the eye, the eyelid becomes swollen (known as the Romana sign). Within a few days, fever and swollen lymph nodes may develop. This initial acute phase may cause illness and death, especially in young children. More commonly, patients enter a symptomless phase lasting several months or years, during which time parasites are invading most organs of the body, often causing heart, intestinal and esophageal damage and progressive weakness.
Chronic infection: Some people develop serious, irreversible damage to the heart or intestinal tract that appears 10 to 20 years after infection. Heart-related problems include an enlarged heart, altered heart rate or rhythm, heart failure, or cardiac arrest. Enlargement of parts of the digestive tract can result in severe constipation or problems with swallowing.
The most recognized symptom of acute Chagas infection is the Roma'a's sign, or swelling of the eye on one side of the face, usually at the bite wound or where feces were rubbed into the eye. Other symptoms are usually not specific for Chagas infection. These symptoms may include fatigue, fever, enlarged liver or spleen, and swollen lymph glands. Sometimes, a rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting occur. In infants and in very young children with acute Chagas disease, swelling of the brain can develop in acute Chagas disease, and this can cause death. In general, symptoms last for 4-8 weeks and then they go away, even without treatment.
Acute infection is followed by a latent (indeterminate) period, which may remain asymptomatic or progress to chronic disease. Immunosuppression may reactivate latent infection, with high parasitemia and a 2nd acute stage, skin lesions, or brain abscesses. Congenital transmission occurs in 1 to 5% of pregnancies and results in abortion, stillbirth, or chronic neonatal disease with high mortality.
Infectious diseases not necessarily common in Canada can occur and may even be widespread in other countries. Standards of hygiene and medical care may differ from those at home. Before departure, you should learn about the health conditions in the country or countries you plan to visit, your own risk of disease and the steps you can take to prevent illness.
Chagas disease can also lead to enlargement of parts of the digestive tract, which result in severe constipation or problems with swallowing. In persons who are immune compromised, including persons with HIV/AIDS, Chagas disease can be severe. Not everyone that is infected with T. cruzi will develop the chronic symptoms of Chagas disease.
Both Lena Butler & Peter Hutch are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lena Butler has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Office Supplies and computers and the internet. This Article is written by Lena Butler, the author of Home Testing Blog - Testing It Up, and a constant contributor to , a longe. Lena Butler's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
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