MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE Disease burden and treatment challenges in patients with both Addison’s disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Concurrent type 1 diabetes (T1D) and Addison’s disease (AD) is a rare combination of diseases and, in approximately one third of these patients, it is also combined with an autoimmune thyroid disease. Recently, it was shown that patients with both T1D and AD have a higher risk of premature death compared to patients with T1D alone, the most common causes of death being due to diabetic complications and cardiovascular disease. These patients receiving replacement therapies with both insulin and glucocorticoids face an increased risk of hypo- and hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis and have a higher risk of adrenal crisis than patients with AD alone. Treatment challenges include the opposing effects of insulin and glucocorticoids on glucose homeostasis and the need to balance and synchronize these two treatments. The rarity of this disease combination may explain the paucity of data on outcome and specific treatment strategies in this patient group. Based on this review, we suggest management strategies for their insulin and glucocorticoid replacement therapies and indicate future areas of research.