The primary and most common cause of Addison's disease is an autoimmune reaction where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the adrenal glands. This prevents the glands from producing sufficient vital hormones like cortisol and aldosterone. However, there are other significant causes that can lead to the disease:
- Tuberculosis (TB) infection of the adrenal glands,
- Other microbial or fungal infections,
- Hemorrhage in the adrenal glands,
- Metastasis (spread) of other types of cancer to the adrenal glands.