During an adrenal crisis, they are ordered to determine the severity of the imbalances and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Determining accurate numbers for addison’s disease symptoms is problematic at best and some incidence figures are thought to be underestimates. Research has shown no significant predispositions based on ethnicity.
Two tests are performed, the short and the long test.
Your doctor may have you undergo a computerized tomography (CT) scan of your abdomen to check the size of your adrenal glands and look for other abnormalities that may give insight to the cause of the adrenal insufficiency. Your doctor may also suggest a MRI scan of your pituitary gland if testing indicates you might have secondary adrenal insufficiency.