International Addison's Day: Catch up on the highlights 04/06/2020

What happened at International Addison's Day 2020

On 29th May 2020 people with Adrenal Insufficiency painted social media blue purple and green, making new friends, sharing experiences and important advice with medics, family, friends and followers.

We were struck by the amazing response and meaningful conversations between those of us with Adrenal Insufficiency and medics around the world. The sharing of experiences is always so valued. So many said how touched they were to be recognised by the day, when people often feel like they are the only one with Adrenal Insufficiency or Addison's Disease.

Discussing important questions on Twitter together

Dedicated Healthcare professionals, panellists from patient support groups, expert patients. ADSHG members and people with Adrenal Insufficiency joined our Twitter Chat on being prepared for emergencies. It was a brilliant, friendly, busy and informative hour covering a wide range of questions, answers and advice. Take a look at our international Addison's Day Twitter Chat highlights.

Showing our true colours, loud and proud on social media

We're extremely grateful to those of you who brightened up you profile picture with an International Addison's Day frame or twibbon on Facebook or Twitter. Seen by followers, family and friends, these little blue, purple and green rings will have certainly sparked some important conversations and helped spread lots of awareness. We loved these tweets that beautifully illustrate information about adrenal crisis in full colour:

It’s #InternationalAddisonsDay ! This years theme is ‘be prepared’ it’s so important to be confident using your injection- it could save your life! Checkout my Instagram for more design work @ mollyclairdesign. @AddisonsUK #addisonsdisease #adrenalinsufficiency pic.twitter.com/VurCB9p0kY
— molclairdesign (@molclairdesign) May 29, 2020

An adrenal crisis is a medical emergency. Symptoms appear quickly. If left untreated, it can be fatal. Treatment should be initiated without delay @AddisonsUK @Soc_Endo @Pituitary_org #InternationalAddisonsDay pic.twitter.com/dn8E1Wj78q
— Research2note (@Research2note) May 29, 2019

And we were inspired by the initiative of a musician in Ireland with secondary adrenal insufficiency:

Making important information available to health professionals

Sofia Llahana and publishers Springer kindly opened up exclusive free access for a limited time to fascinating chapters from the Advanced Practise in Endocrinology Nursing Book. For medics yet to meet or treat someone with Addison's, it's an important introduction to some of the fundamental challenges and best practises for treatment and has proved extremely popular.

Latest

40th Anniversary Addison's Roadshow

Please join our Addison's Roadshow to celebrate 40 years of the ADSHG! Anyone affected by Addison's disease or adrenal insufficiency, and those that support them, can come along.
Ingrid's Story: Exercising with Addison's

Meet Ingrid who has recently taken up a new hobby, going to the gym. Here Ingrid hopes to inspire others to get exercising this New Year while also reminding us of the importance of managing your Addison’s too.
Shona’s Addison's Afternoon Tea Fundraiser

I'm raising money for the Addison's Disease Self-Help Group so that they can continue to support people with Addison's and adrenal insufficiency. Addison’s is a rare endocrine condition where the adrenal glands do not produce enough steroid hormones and can be life threatening. It affects approximately 1 in 10,000 people, meaning an estimated 300 - 350 new cases are diagnosed each year across the UK, this makes it roughly 300 times rarer than diabetes.
Behind the Research: Implementation of perioperative guidelines & steroid emergency card

Congratulations Louise Breen on receiving the Annette Louise Seal Memorial Award! Louise shares more about her work as an Advanced Endocrine Nurse Practitioner & first Chair Elect of the Society for Endocrinology Nurse Committee

Sick Day Rules

Minor ailments can affect anyone with a steroid-dependent adrenal condition very differently. Things like vomiting, diarrhoea, colds and flu could cause an adrenal crisis. It’s important that you spot the early symptoms of a bug or cold and adjust your steroid replacement medication.
Adrenal Crisis - Emergency Help

Adrenal crisis is a time-critical, life-threatening emergency and must be treated immediately. Read the guidance on treating a steroid-dependent patient in adrenal crisis.
What is Addison's Disease?

Find out more about Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency and and how they are treated.
The Emergency Injection for the treatment of Adrenal Crisis

Understanding what an Emergency Injection kit is, how to inject and how important it is to use the injection during an Adrenal Crisis.
Why Salt?

Why do people with Addison’s and adrenal insufficiency crave salty, acidic and sour foods at diagnosis, and then salt remains our “pick me up” when diagnosed? Professor Simon Pearce explains the connection between aldosterone, fludrocortisone and why you should always listen to your salt cravings.
Coronavirus Vaccines and Adrenal Insufficiency

Everyone with a steroid-dependent adrenal condition should get the coronavirus vaccine and boosters to reduce their risk of getting coronavirus. This is because people who are steroid-dependent are at increased risk of needing hospital care if they get coronavirus, due to the risk of adrenal crisis.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) - 02/10/2023

Our medics have been keeping an eye on pandemic developments. This page is up to date but we will continue updating it regularly as we find out more information from the government.
Updated NHS Steroid Card Released

Following the early release of the new NHS Steroid Emergency Card back in March to keep patients with Addison's or adrenal insufficiency safe during the COVID-19 crisis, the NHS steroid card has been updated and physical copies will be available to order from Tuesday 18th August 2020 for hospital teams!
Addison's & Adrenal Insufficiency: Advice for Dentists

The ADSHG guidelines offer illustrative guidance for major and minor dental procedures. It is important to recognise the physical stress of any invasive dental procedure and to ensure that adequate glucocorticoid cover is provided for steroid-dependent patients.
Surgical Guidelines

The ADSHG surgical guidelines are intended for the information of your medical team or your dentist and have been developed by our Clinical Advisory Panel.

Research Grants

Our charity is at the forefront of medical research into Addison's Disease. Help us fund medical researchers working in this important field of endocrine research. Read more