Raising Awareness of Addison's At BSPED - 12/11/2018

Last week, volunteers from Addison's Disease Self-Help Group headed to Birmingham, to the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes (BSPED) annual conference. Our aim in attending was to raise awareness of Addison's Disease amongst the medical fraternity and to participate in related symposium discussions.

The BSPED aims to improve the care of children and young people with endocrine disorders and diabetes mellitus by bringing together professionals from a range of disciplines. The conference in Birmingham brings together clinicians from all over the United Kingdom to share ideas and develop best practice.

Our team of volunteers - Sue Rookes, Sue Partridge & Hilary Close were assisted by ADSHG's CEO, Neil McClements. We ran a display stand for 2 days of the conference. There were many useful discussions with consultants and nurses involved in caring for children & young adults with Addison's. Many medics confessed that they had yet to see a case of Addison's in their own clinics. Several consultants were grateful for our supply of materials for their clinics - both for patients and as training aids for their junior doctors.

We also enjoyed participating in the symposiums, putting the patient's voice across to a medical community who were keen to listen to our perspective. On the final day of the conference, our CEO met with members of the BSPED Executive Committee to explore our shared mission in helping people affected by Addison's. Following this successful introduction, we hope over the coming year to work together with BSPED members to help them with their medical research and to provide expert patient feedback to endocrinologists working in this area.

Thanks to Sue, Sue & Hilary, everyone left the stand with a bundle of our literature, leaflets, posters and other educational materials to take home and spread the word.

Our thanks to our three amazing volunteers - Sue, Sue and Hilary - and also to BSPED's Executive Committee for facilitating our attendance and providing the stand, at what was a very successful event.

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