J.s. is a 58-year-old female brought to the emergency department (ed) at 7:00 am by her husband because when she got up this morning she was light-headed, confused, and so weak that she could not dress herself. j.s.'s husband immediately drove her to the ed in her pajamas. she has a history of rheumatoid arthritis and had been taking prednisone (deltasone) 10 mg daily, but she stopped taking her medications because her husband states he lost his job and they couldn't afford it.

adrenal insufficiency, also called adrenocortical insufficiency or hypocortisolism ia a condition when the body's adrenal glands cannot make important hormones that your body uses for some of its most basic functions.

Your adrenal glands have two jobs. The first is to make adrenaline, a hormone your body creates in times of stress. But the more important job is making two steroid hormones, cortisol and aldosterone.

Cortisol also helps your body deal with stress.
Controls your blood pressure and your heart rate
Controls how your immune system deals with viruses, bacteria, and other threats

Puts more sugar in your bloodstream to give you more energy
Adjusts how your body breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats

Aldosterone help keeps the sodium and potassium in your blood balanced, which helps control your blood pressure and the balance of fluids in your body.