Under dehydrated conditions, the cells may lose up to 28% or more of their water volume. This certainly undermines all cellular activities, whether they occur in skin cells, stomach cells, liver cells, kidney cells or heart cells.
In Addison's disease, the adrenal glands don't make enough of a hormone called cortisol, or less often, a related hormone called aldosterone. That's why doctors sometimes call the illness ''chronic adrenal insufficiency,'' or hypocortisolism.
Addison's disease can affect people of all ages, but the most commonly affected age group is adults 30 to 50 years old. Though the disease affects most people similarly, there are a few differences between the way it affects adults and the way it affects children. The cause of Addison's disease is one of those major differences.