Source: www.visualdx.com
A beloved U.S. President had the disease seen here, although
he did not have any obvious discoloration of his lips. Patients who first
present with this disease usually have weakness and fatigue, but if
undiagnosed, can experience a life-threatening crisis. What is the condition?
John F. Kennedy had Addison’s disease, which is the condition shown and described here. It is an endocrine disorder where the adrenals do not produce enough glucocorticoids (sometimes mineralocorticoids), leading to adrenal insufficiency. Most symptoms are indistinct, such as weakness, fatigue, and abdominal pain. The crisis described above occurs when patients with Addison’s disease go undiagnosed and develop life-threatening hypotension.
ReplyDeleteHyperpigmenation is often seen on the palms of the hands but also occurs on mucous membranes, as seen here. The skin color changes occur when melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) is up-regulated with adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) when cortisol production is low. Hyperpigmentation will occur when the disease is severe and 90% of the adrenal gland is non-functioning.