Primary misdiagnosed as Secondary?

[LibraryAnn]

Can anyone tell me what the symptoms would be if one was diagnosed as and treated for Secondary Addison's, but really had Primary? In other words, what are the symptoms of hypoaldosteronism ALONE, without hypocortisolism?

Thanks.

[Nexis]

It could be lupus since renal failure is a primary sign of Lupus...

[LibraryAnn]

Originally Posted by Nexis

It could be lupus since renal failure is a primary sign of Lupus...

? Are you saying that renal failure is a symptom of hypoaldosteronism? (Since I was asking about symptoms, not a diagnosis.)

I know there's such a thing as hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism, but since this is the Addison's board, I was referring to adrenal hypoaldosteronism, which is what someone would have if they were being treated for secondary Addison's (ACTH deficiency which leads to hypocortisolism), but actually HAD primary (hypocortisolism plus hypoaldosteronsim.)

Thanks.

[gettin' better]

As far as I know, the symptoms of primary and secondary Addison's are exactly the same. The only difference is whether the adrenal glands have failed because of failure somewhere else (i.e., pituitary) (secondary), or if they have just quit on their own (primary). I was originally diagnosed with primary Addison's until further tests revealed that my pituitary gland was hypo, which changed the diagnosis to secondary. My growth hormone level and my thyroid were also affected. The treatment did not change once the diagnosis did; I still take 20 mg. of Cortef per day in divided doses. In the beginning, I was also on .1 Florinef, but it was later determined that I didn't really need it, which is most often the case in secondary. I hope this helps to answer your question.

[orion]

Primary also has adrenal hypoaldosteronism and if untreated you can have symptoms like muscle weakness, extreme salt cravings, and very low blood pressure. You must take florinef and extra salt to compensate.

Secondary doesn't have this problem but may have other hormonal loses such as low growth hormone, elevated prolactin, sex hormone problems and thyroid problems.

Secondary is easy to separate from primary by simply testing the adrenal glands with ACTH. If they respond to the test, you are secondary, if you don't respond with an increase in cortisol you are primary. It's fairly simple to establish which is which.

How were you diagnosed? What tests were used to establish your adrenal insufficiency. If it was just a blood test for cortisol, you need much more than that.