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ADDISON'S ADRENALITIS
Author(s) -
Petri Michael,
Nerup Jørn
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section a pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-4184
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1971.tb01835.x
Subject(s) - medicine , addison's disease , autopsy , pathology , lymphocytic infiltration , thyroiditis , disease
Based on review of the literature and ten cases of our own it is concluded that the specific adrenal lesion in patients with idiopathic Addison's disease is a diffuse lymphocytic adrena‐litis. It is proposed to substitute for the term idiopathic Addison's disease the name Addison's adrenalitis , since the disease has clinical, immunological and patho‐anatomical features of its own. Adrenal glands from two autopsy series of 413 and 161 cases were investigated for the occurrence of focal lymphocytic adrenalitis. Small numbers of lymphocytes were found in 15 per cent and 18.6 per cent, respectively. Lymphocytic infiltrates which to some extent resembled the infiltrates in focal thyroiditis were found in only 2.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent in the two series. These infiltrates were also very small and the existence of a significant focal lymphocytic adrenalitis seems questionable.