ATROPHY OF THE ADRENALS AND ADDISON’S DISEASE

Abstract

A study is presented of 18 cases of adrenal atrophy observed personally together with a review of the literature. Atrophy of the adrenals as a cause of Addison''s disease has a high incidence, especially in England. The incidence of such cases in the available necropsy series varied from 0.025 to 0.29%. The [female] incidence is appreciably higher than that of the [male] and the highest frequency is between 35 and 45 years of age. An accumulation, in the adrenal, of minor atrophic lesions may be causal in some cases, but a [female] sex factor appears to be prominent, etiologically.