Adrenal insufficiency risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ayeesha Kattubadi, M.B.B.S [2]

Overview

Common risk factors in the development of adrenal insufficiency include chronic glucocorticoid use, tuberculosis, anticoagulant use, etc.

Common risk factors in the development of chronic adrenal insufficiency include patients on chronic glucocorticoids , anticoagulants, tuberculosis, adrenal gland surgery, presence of other autoimmune conditions like Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Following is the table showing the risk factors associated with increased risk of developing acute adrenal crisis ^[1].


Risk factors associated with increased risk of adrenal crisis
History	Drugs	Medical conditions
Prior history of [[adrenal crisis]] Known case of adrenal insufficiency	Suppression of HPA axis by exogenous steroids Increased risk of adrenal hemorrhage by anticoagulants Increased cortisol metabolism by Levothyroxine, Phenytoin, Phenobarbitol Decreased production of cortisol by Ketoconazole, Etomidate	Thyrotoxicosis Diabetes insipidus Diabetes mellitus Pregnancy