Metabolic disorders disrupt the normal process of converting food into energy and can be genetic. Common disorders include diabetes, Cushing’s, Addison’s, and Grave’s disease. Symptoms include high blood pressure, weight gain, and fatigue. Treatment varies depending on the disorder.
Metabolic disorders involve abnormal chemical reactions in a person’s body that disrupt the normal process of metabolism, the method of converting food into energy. Many metabolic disorders are genetic and can lead to enzyme malfunctions. The conditions can be characterized by high blood pressure, blood clotting, and difficulty with insulin production. In many cases, a person with a metabolic condition may be overweight or obese. Common metabolic disorders include diabetes, Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease, and Grave’s disease.
Affecting more than 23 million Americans, diabetes is a disorder that occurs when a person’s body struggles to create enough or use insulin properly. A hormone produced in the pancreas, insulin is required for cells to receive glucose, a form of fuel used by the body. Diabetes causes high levels of glucose in the blood, fuel that doesn’t reach the cells due to the absence of insulin, or the ability to use insulin, depending on the type of diabetes. A diabetic can experience blurry vision, high blood pressure, and rapid weight loss. Typically a person with diabetes will be treated by watching their blood sugar levels and using insulin injections.
Cushing’s syndrome is one of several metabolic disorders that affect a person’s hormones. This condition produces an overabundance of cortisol, a hormone that helps control blood pressure and metabolism. If the body creates too much cortisol, a person can experience weight gain, fatigue, irritability and acne. This condition can even lead to death if left untreated. Cushing’s syndrome can be caused by tumors, and treatment typically requires surgical removal of the tumors.
A rare disease that affects one in 10,000 people, Addison’s disease destroys the adrenal glands, which are located near the kidneys. A person with Addison’s disease does not have enough hormones cortisol and aldosterone, which help control salt and water levels in the body. When aldosterone levels get too low, the kidneys are unable to keep the amount of salt and water in balance, and blood pressure plummets. In addition to low blood pressure, a person with Addison’s disease may experience diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and changes in skin color. An individual with this metabolic disorder can live a normal life with hormone replacements and increased dietary salt.
Graves’ disease, sometimes referred to as toxic diffuse goiter, is a metabolic disorder that affects the thyroid gland. A person with Grave’s disease has an overactive thyroid, a gland found in the neck. This metabolic disorder results in the creation of too much thyroid hormone, which controls metabolism, breathing, and the heart and nervous system. A person with Grave’s disease often has heart palpitations, weight loss, and eye problems. Treatment for Grave’s disease may include the use of drugs to curb the overproduction of thyroid hormone or the removal of the thyroid gland.
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