Question

A patient who has symptoms of extreme weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, darkening of the skin, dizziness when standing, craves salty food, has slow sluggish movements, weight loss and reduced appetite (anorexia). The doctor performed lab tests which revealed the patient has low blood pressure (hypotension) , low cortisol level (hypoglycemia), low serum sodium (hyponatremia), low blood PH, increased potassium (Hyperglycemia), but normal sex hormone levels. What is the etiology?

a. Graves disease
b. Cushing's syndrome
c. Addison's disease
d. Conn's syndrome

Answer 1

The patient's symptoms and lab results are indicative of Addison's disease, which involves insufficient production of cortisol from the adrenal glands and requires lifelong cortisol replacement therapy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient's symptoms of extreme weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, darkening of the skin, dizziness when standing, cravings for salty food, slow sluggish movements, weight loss, and reduced appetite, along with lab findings of low blood pressure (hypotension), low cortisol level, low serum sodium (hyponatremia), low blood pH, and increased potassium levels (hyperkalemia), but normal sex hormone levels point to a diagnosis of Addison's disease. Addison's disease is characterized by hyposecretion of corticosteroids, specifically cortisol, from the adrenal glands. This can be due to malfunction of the adrenal glands themselves, or from decreased ACTH availability from the pituitary. The treatment typically involves lifelong cortisol replacement therapy.