TB cause of 20% Adrenal Insufficiency cases in the DEVELOPED world
Think some awareness is needed about how prevalent TB still is in Europe, USA etc...it has not been as severely eradicated as we are lead to believe.
On average 2 people out of every 100,000 in the UK/Ireland contract it.
Hundreds of people in Ireland are diagnosed every year.
Upon further research i then find that TB was the PRIMARY cause of adrenal insufficiency when Thomas Addison was around.
I am finding current stats. of 20-30% of adrenal insufficiency cases are caused by TB in DEVELOPED countries. It's law for docs to register cases so these stats are fairly reliable.
Of course S.Africa and other 'developing' countries still have epidemic proportions of TB and the cause of Addison's in those countries are still much greater due to TB.
"Tuberculosis (TB), an infection which can destroy the adrenal glands, accounts for about 20 percent of cases of primary adrenal insufficiency in developed countries. When adrenal insufficiency was first identified by Dr. Thomas Addison in 1849, TB was found at autopsy in 70 to 90 percent of cases. As the treatment for TB improved, however, the incidence of adrenal insufficiency due to TB of the adrenal glands has greatly decreased."
http://www.medicinenet.com/addison_disease/page3.htm
I was floored to find that STILL TB is accountable for a 5th of all Addison's cases in Europe etc.
Yet how many people diagnosed with Addison's are tested for TB?! Further research leads me to realise that mostly the diagnosis is made, HC prescribed, and that's it!
Why don't doctor's ask WHY the adrenals are no longer working?! (Or am i just too damn curious for my own good?! ;-))
TB can easily start as a pulmonary condition and travel to the spine, adrenals, joints, organs and eyes.
Due to the blind ignorance of the west to the prevalence of TB it is being discounted and hardly ever explored when people present with symptoms of TB such as persistent cough, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats coupled with adrenal exhaustion symptoms.
However, studies also show that over half of active TB cases in the developed world don't actually present the cluster of classic TB symptoms.
One can be a carrier of TB and asymptomatic which only becomes active during times of low immunity. Hence why many people with AIDS get it. However a sharp blow by a virus could allow TB to come out of hiding after many years being dormant.
Interestingly, adrenal tumours turn out to be tuberculomas (TB mass).
TB has an affinity for the adrenals it seems.
I wanted to raise this issue as it has been a shocker to follow the TB rabbit down the hole and see that it's still very alive and kicking in the 'western' world and still doing adrenal damage as it did 150yrs ago...it's just been hushed by the mainstream media...perhaps because we now have strains of it that are resistant to those
Antibiotics which came in and 'saved the day' to eradicate TB all those years ago.
As many folk on here struggle to find a doctor to explore their adrenal issues i thought this angle may be of help in terms of trying to recover from exhaustion - especially if you have followed NB, Lam et al protocols and are not finding improvement due to an underlying infection.
I know stress IS a killer but there are OTHER reasons for AF/AI other than stress and they don't seem to be explored so much on this forum.
Learning about TB has been an eye-opener for me.
I suspect other infections can also insiduously take down adrenal function similar to TB.
Seems boosting the immune system with everything you can, perhaps consider
Colloidal Silver too - is a good starting point to help eradicate any infections, reducing inflammation and helping the adrenals heal...aswell as supplements that help 'build' adrenal function too..if you can handle them.
Wishing increasing better health to all.