Damage to the cortex disrupts the production of two of these hormones, cortisol and aldosterone, leading to a variety of symptoms, including weakness, darkening of the skin and mucous membranes, poor appetite, weight loss, low blood pressure, gastrointestinal upset, and craving for salt or salty foods. The adrenal cortex produces numerous hormones called corticosteroids, which are involved in important functions of the body such as regulation of metabolism, blood pressure, and sodium and potassium levels. Addison disease may also occur as a result of diseases of the pituitary gland, which cause corticotropin deficiency, or diseases of the hypothalamus, which cause corticotropin-releasing hormone deficiency. Noninfectious causes of Addison disease include adrenal hemorrhage or infarction, metastatic cancer, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, bilateral adrenalectomy (surgical removal of both adrenal glands), and drugs such as ketoconazole (an antifungal drug that inhibits steroid synthesis) and mitotane (a derivative of the insecticide DDT that causes adrenocortical suppression). Tuberculosis and fungal infections typically result in the calcification of the adrenal glands. Other causes of Addison disease are infectious diseases, including fungal infections (e.g., histoplasmosis) and viral infections (e.g., cytomegalovirus).

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Addison's disease symptoms