Which description best characterizes Addisonian crisis manifestations?

• A. Severe headache and rash
• B. Severe abdominal pain and vascular collapse
• C. Hyperglycemia with weight gain
• D. Cardiac arrhythmias

Answer: (B)

An Addisonian crisis is an acute adrenal insufficiency where a sudden lack of cortisol and aldosterone causes severe circulatory instability. The most telling signs are sudden, intense abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting, dehydration, and a rapid drop in blood pressure that can progress to vascular collapse and shock. This reflects the life-threatening salt-wasting and failure of vascular tone from cortisol and aldosterone deficiency. Other options don’t fit as well: a severe headache with a rash suggests other emergencies like meningococcemia or an allergic reaction; hyperglycemia with weight gain isn’t typical of adrenal crisis (hypoglycemia and weight loss are more common); and while arrhythmias can occur with electrolyte disturbances, they aren’t the defining feature of an adrenal crisis.