Question

Addisons’s disease is due to defect in
A. Adrenal cortex
B. Thyroid
C. Parathyroid
D. Pituitary

Answer 1

Hint: This is an uncommon disorder that occurs when the glands located just above kidneys cannot produce enough two steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone.

Complete answer:
Addison’s disease occurs when the adrenal cortex is damaged and the adrenal glands cannot produce enough of the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone. Aldosterone helps with sodium and potassium regulation. Cortisol regulates the body's reaction to stressful situations. It also helps regulate the body's use of protein, carbohydrates and fat and helps to maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular function. The adrenal cortex also produces sex hormones [androgens].Addison’s disease occurs in all age groups and both sexes, and can be life-threatening. Signs and symptoms include extreme fatigue, weight loss, low blood pressure, salt craving, muscle and joint pains, irritability, abdominal pain .Symptoms usually develop slowly often over several months. Often, the disease progresses so slowly that symptoms are ignored until stress. But sometimes the signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease may appear suddenly. Acute adrenal failure [addisonian crisis] can lead to life threatening shock. There are two major classifications for Addison’s disease: primary adrenal insufficiency and secondary adrenal insufficiency. Primary adrenal insufficiency occurs when your adrenal glands are damaged so severely that they no longer produce hormones .This type of Addison’s disease is most often caused when your immune system attacks your adrenal glands. This is called autoimmune disease. Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the pituitary gland located in the brain cannot produce adrenocorticotropic hormone {ACTH}. ACTH tells the adrenal glands when to release hormones.

So, the correct answer is option A

Note: Two types of antigens are found on the red blood cell surface. These are antigen A and antigen B. Antigen A is found in blood group A and antigen B is found in B blood group. AB blood possesses both the antigens A and B. O blood group does not contain any antigens.