[Addison's disease in the framework of poly-glandular autoimmune syndromes: 3 case reports]

Case reports of three patients with idiopathic Addison's disease combined with other associated autoimmune endocrine and non-endocrine disorders are presented. In the first patient, a young man with a long-standing history of mucocutaneous candidiasis, latent Addison's disease was discovered by diagnostic screening tests. In the two other patients, women aged 39 and 20 respectively, overt Addison's disease combined with primary hypothyroidism was diagnosed. One of them also had a pre-existing ovarian failure. The polyglandular autoimmune syndromes with Addison's disease are classified into two different subtypes, on the basis of characteristic patterns of disease combinations and on different modes of inheritance. Patients with autoimmune Addison's disease are at relatively high risk for other endocrine disorders or non-endocrine autoimmune diseases. Therefore, these patients--and in some instances also their relatives--need lifelong supervision and advice to ensure timely recognition of any associated diseases.