Addison's Disease due to Adrenal Tuberculosis Confirmed by PCR

Addison's disease, or primary adrenal insufficiency, results from progressive destruction of the adrenal glands. The common causes of Addison's disease are idiopathic autoimmune atrophy and tuberculosis of the adrenals glands. Adrenal insufficiency caused gradual adrenal destruction is characterized by an insidious onset of fatigability, weakness, anorexia, nausea, weight loss, and cutaneous manifestations, such as hyperpigmentation of the skin, especially in sun-exposed areas, palmar creases, frictional areas, recent scars, and oral mucosa, and longitudinal pigmented bands in the nails. After diagnosing Addison's disease, determining the underlying adrenal abnormality is important for the appropriate treatment of the disease. To date, there have been no reports regarding the cause of Addison's disease confirmed in the Korean dermatologic literature. We report here a case of Addison's disease secondary to adrenal tuberculosis confirmed by a tuberculosis-polymerase chain reaction (TB-PCR).