Addison's Disease Network

A PERSONAL SIGNS & SYMPTOMS CHART FOR PATIENTS:

It has become increasingly evident from listening to patients and from personal experience that many of us find it difficult, when consulting the doctor whether he or she be a primary care physician (GP or PCP) or specialist endocrinologist, to concisely remember all the relevant signs & symptoms when asked.
Patients with Addison's disease often liken this to 'Thinking through fog' or describe it as 'Brain fog'. With this in mind we have modified the frequency chart taken directly from our symptoms report and remodelled it, reproducing it below with 'check boxes' alongside each sign and symptom. Patients may find it useful to 'tick' the boxes next to each sign & symptom they personally experience. The form will print out with the ticked boxes intact. You can then use this as your own personal record of your symptoms, or choose to give a copy to your doctor your list of symptoms you experience if you wish.

Important:
Please note that very few of the signs & symptoms on the list are individually in any way specific to Addison's disease, but are merely a list of those which diagnosed AD patients have disclosed that they experience at various times. We recommend you take time to read through the Addison's disease survey report on this web site for further information.

We would like to stress that this is NOT a diagnostic service and can in no way take the place of consulting the appropriate doctor(s).

Some patients with confirmed Addison's may like to keep their own printed charts in order to monitor the progress of their diagnosed Addison's disease.

Name: Date:
Your Sign or Symptom:
Tick ALL that apply 		Patients with this
BEFORE treatment:		Patients with this
SINCE start of treatment:
1 Leg cramps93.75% 96.8%
2 Fatigue 93.75% 74.2%
3 Muscle pain87.5%96.8%
4 Abdominal pain
or stomach ache		87.5%90.0%
5 Body weight loss87.5%0.0%
6 Painful feet84.4%96.8%
7 Thin dry skin80.0%83.4%
8 Exercise intolerance80.0%73.3%
9 Loss of libido79.3%79.3%
10 Brittle nails78.3%58.1%
11 Nausea78.1%38.7%
12 Loss of appetite78.1%25.8%
13 Inappropriate tanning76.9%33.3%
14 Need extra sleep
(during the day)		75.0%74.2%
15 Mood swings75.0%66.7%
16 Lack concentration74.2%74.2%
17 Thinking through fog74.2%71.0%
18 Postural hypotension71.9%53.1%
19 Irritability71.3%66.7%
20 Slow recovery
eg. from illness etc.		70.0%62.1%
21 Salt craving 68.75%64.5%
22 Insomnia67.7%74.2%
23 Hypotension66.7%61.2%
24 Hypoglycaemic (low
blood sugar) attacks		65.6%61.2%
25 Anxiety65.6%59.4%
26 Diarrhoea
or loose stools		64.5% 59.4%*
27 Irregular periods §64.2%58.3%
28 Loss of balance63.3%40.0%
29 Headaches/migraines62.5%74.2%
30 Fluid retention61.9%21.3%
31 Stress intolerance61.3%74.2%
32 Constipation61.3%64.5%
33 Vomiting61.3%12.9%
34 Poor memory59.5%67.7%
35 Excessive flatus58.1%67.7%
36 Muscle spasms
or 'twitches'		58.1%51.6%
37 Prone to infections56.7%56.7%
38 Visual 'after-images'54.8%58.1%
39 Increased or
excessive thirst		 54.8%** 53.3%†
40 Tingling skin
or pins & needles		53.1%38.7%
41 Light sensitivity
or night blindness		51.7%54.8%
42 Tinnitus51.6%42.0%
43 Disorientation51.6%48.4%
44 Loss of body hair51.6%29.0%
45 Night sweats50.0%55.0%
46 Hot/cold intolerance50.0%48.3%
47 Palpitations48.4%54.8%
48 Dry/stinging eyes48.4%54.8%
49 Indigestion or
'heartburn'		46.9%56.7%
50 Excessive sweating46.9%43.3%
51 Dry nose/mouth45.2%58.1%
52 Inc. Startle reflex 43.75%51.6%
53 Poor grip41.9%41.9%
54 Thin dry wispy hair41.9%29.1%
55 Increased number
of motions***		35.5%32.3%
56 Prone to joint
or muscle injury		32.3%32.3%
57 Tachycardia 31.25%29.0%
58 Chicken pox/shingles
in 2 years before
other symptoms		 27.0%†† 6.5%
59 Easy bruising
(maybe spontaneous)		25.0%41.9%
60 Bradycardia25.0%16.1%
61 Numb patches of
skin or muscle		22.6%22.6%
62 'Hives'20.0%25.9%
63 Joint pain16.1%12.9%
64 Hypertension15.0%20.0%
65 Cholecystectomy
(removal of gall bladder)		10.3%16.0%‡
66 Body weight gain 9.4%93.3%
67 Glandular fever
(mononucleosis/EBV)
in 2 years before
other symptoms		 6.9%†† 0.0%
68 Body weight static 3.1% 6.7%

* But decrease in frequency
§ Females of childbearing age only
** Inc. 3 diabetics. † No more diabetics since
*** 2-3 or more per day
‡ Of remainder
†† All cases, 2 yrs pre symptoms - start treatment
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