Women with spontaneous premature ovarian failure (POF) are three hundred times more likely than members of the general population to develop a serious condition in which the body attacks the adrenal glands, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
The study also reports that a test measuring immune system proteins known as antibodies is an effective way to diagnose the adrenal condition in women with spontaneous POF. The researchers published their findings in the August issue of Human Reproduction. Premature ovarian failure occurs when the ovaries stop producing eggs and reproductive hormones well in advance of natural menopause.
An estimated one percent of American women develop the condition by age 40. Primary auto-immune adrenal insufficiency, also known as Addison’s disease, occurs when the body’s own immune system makes antibodies that attack and destroy the adrenal glands. Antibodies ordinarily bind to disease-causing organisms, tagging them for later destruction by the immune system. The adrenal glands produce hormones (cortisol and aldosterone) that regulate salt metabolism and the body’s response to stress.
Addison’s disease is easily treated with medication that replaces the hormones that the adrenal glands are not making. However, if a person with untreated adrenal insufficiency experiences a stressful event, like a severe illness, injury, or surgery, he or she can die from the condition. Despite the fact that adrenal insufficiency can be life threatening, there has been ongoing debate in the medical community as how to best detect this condition in the early stages.
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