

( 3) Acute adrenal crisis may result from stress in patients with chronic adrenal insufficiency who are not adequately replaced, but it also occurs in patients with acute adrenal hemorrhage or pituitary apoplexy.īoth chronic primary and chronic secondary adrenal insufficiency lead to glucocorticoid deficiency and occasionally androgen deficiency (in women). Most commonly it is due to exogenous glucocorticoid therapy, but it can also be the result of generalized hypopituitarism (usually from pituitary or hypothalamic tumors) or isolated ACTH deficiency (probably autoimmune in nature). ( 2) Chronic secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when insufficient adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is available to stimulate the adrenal cortex. The most common causes include autoimmune disease (about 70 to 80%), tuberculosis (about 20%), adrenal hemorrhage, adrenal metastases, and AIDS in association with cytomegalovirus (CMV), other pathogens, or ketoconazole treatment ( 1). Risk factorsĪdrenal cancer happens more often in people with inherited syndromes that increase the risk of certain cancers.Adrenal insufficiency can be subdivided into three broad categories: ( 1) Chronic primary adrenal insufficiency, also called Addison's disease, is a result of destruction of the adrenal cortex.


The tumor cells can break away and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. When this happens, the abnormal cells accumulate and form a tumor. The mutations can tell the cell to multiply uncontrollably and to continue living when healthy cells would die. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do.

It's not clear what causes adrenal cancer.Īdrenal cancer forms when something creates changes (mutations) in the DNA of an adrenal gland cell. Hormone changes in men that might cause enlarged breast tissue and shrinking testicles.Hormone changes in women that might cause excess facial hair, hair loss on the head and irregular periods.Pink or purple stretch marks on the skin.Signs and symptoms of adrenal cancer include:
