People with adrenal insufficiency face life-threatening emergencies called adrenal crises, which need urgent treatment with hydrocortisone injections. In this study, 12 people shared their struggles of managing their AI and adrenal crises, which included complex injection procedures, severe symptoms which made self-injection challenging, and limited support to manage these crises effectively.

The study identified several areas that would help people to self-manage their AI better. This included:

• Simpler injection devices
• Better information
• Improved training for healthcare staff

Implementing these suggestions would help prevent avoidable hospital admissions and save lives.

Click here to read the full article. This article was written by Aldons Chua, an Endocrine Specialist Nurse and a member of our staff team.

For more information on what to do in an emergency adrenal crisis situation, please see our Emergency Info for AI and AVP-D page.

In the video below, our endocrine specialist nurse, Darshna Patel, covers how to adjust your hydrocortisone doses during periods of illness or physical strain. She goes through the 'Sick Day Rules' for managing hydrocortisone medication, as well as the signs of adrenal crisis and what to do if this occurs.

You can watch this video for a helpful reminder of the Sick Day Rules, or share it with others to educate them.

This year, Ramadan is expected to start on the evening of Friday 28th February 2025 and take place until Sunday 30th March 2025. It is a time of fasting, reflection, prayer and community for Muslims around the world.

If you are affected by a pituitary condition and are wanting to fast during Ramadan, it is important to speak to your GP or healthcare provider beforehand, to be sure that you can do this safely. Our leaflet, Fasting with Adrenal Insufficiency, provides useful information to help you observe Ramadan safely if you have adrenal insufficiency.

This leaflet is endorsed by the Society for Endocrinology, and was created in collaboration with Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group and Living With CAH. It is also included in the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) Ramadan Compendium.

Please note, this leaflet is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice given by your GP or healthcare provider. If you have any questions or concerns about how you can fast safely with adrenal insufficiency, you should seek advice from your GP or endocrinology team.

There have been a few updates to the sick day rules for those with adrenal insufficiency recently. We have been getting a few questions and want to clear things up.

The Society for Endocrinology (SfE) have recently changed their guidance. We will be updating our sick day rules on the website and within our adrenal insufficiency booklet in accordance with the new guidelines as soon as possible.

It will cause no harm to follow either our existing sick day rules, or the rules your clinic has provided, or the new SfE rules for now.

We will be continuing our advocacy work with the SfE and other support organisations to ensure that the guidelines are consistent and clear.