An adrenal crisis occurs in people with Addison’s when the cortisol present in their body is not sufficient to keep it functioning.
Common triggers include vomiting, diarrhoea, other infections such as flu or extreme emotional stress.
An adrenal crisis is a life-threatening situation and requires immediate medical treatment. The person needs to be given an emergency injection of hydrocortisone straight away.
You can read more about this in the emergency section of our website or visit our ADSHG video hub for an instructional video on how to give the emergency injection.