Unmasking Adrenal Insufficiency: Adrenal Crisis Triggered by Influenza-Associated Encephalitis

Primary adrenal insufficiency, or Addison disease, can be caused by an autoimmune process and presents with poor growth, poor weight gain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and skin hyperpigmentation. During times of stress or illness, patients with untreated or insufficiently treated adrenal insufficiency are at risk for adrenal crisis progressing to hypotensive shock, lethargy, confusion, coma, and death. While primary adrenal insufficiency is reported as a rare cause of encephalopathy, and more rare