Nationellt kort vid binjurebarkssvikt. Nytt varningskort kan leda till bättre handläggning och ökad patientsäkerhet
Sammanfattning
Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease) and secondary adrenal insufficiency due to pituitary lesions are both relatively rare whereas adrenal insufficiency secondary to treatment with glucocorticoids is more common. Irrespective of the cause, patients with adrenal insufficiency need daily replacement therapy with glucocorticoids, usually given as hydrocortisone tablets. In cases of acute intercurrent disease or trauma, causing major physical stress and/or inability to take the tablets, adrenal crisis may develop rapidly.
Adrenal crisis is a life-threatening medical emergency that requires rapid medical attention and treatment with i.v. saline and glucocorticoids. The condition may, however, not immediately be obvious to personnel in ambulances and emergency departments.
The Swedish Addison registry and Swedish Endocrine Society has produced a new national credit-card-size laminated medical emergency card for patients with adrenal insufficiency. We believe that the card will be easy to recognize in medical emergencies preventing fatal outcomes.