Polyglandular Deficiency Syndromes

Polyglandular deficiency is also sometimes called polyendocrine deficiency. It is classified into three separate forms, referred to as type I, type II and type III.

Type I occurs in children, and adrenal insufficiency may be accompanied, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), by the following:

• underactive parathyroid glands (Read about "Parathyroid Glands")
• slow sexual development
• pernicious anemia (Read about "Anemia")
• chronic candida infections (yeast infections) (Read about "Microorganisms")
• chronic active hepatitis

In very rare cases, there can be hair loss.

Type II, often called Schmidt's syndrome, usually afflicts young adults. In addition to adrenal insufficiency, features of type II may include:

• an underactive thyroid gland (Read about "Thyroid")
• slow sexual development
• diabetes mellitus (Read about "Diabetes")

About 10 percent of patients with type II have vitiligo, or loss of pigment, on areas of the skin. (Read about "Vitiligo") NIDDK says that scientists think that this syndrome is inherited because frequently more than one family member tends to have one or more endocrine deficiencies. (Read about "The Endocrine System")

Type III usually occurs in adults and does not involve the adrenal glands but can involve other endocrine glands resulting in:

• thyroid deficiency
• diabetes mellitus
• pernicious anemia
• vitiligo
• alopecia (Read about "Alopecia")

If the adrenal gland does fail, the condition is renamed type II.

The cause of polyglandular deficiency syndromes is usually an autoimmune response - a condition in which the body produces antibodies against its own tissues. (Read about "The Immune System") Treatment centers around replacement of the deficient hormones.