What you should know about COVID-19 – updated 10th August 2021

Guidance from other organizations is continually being issued and we’ll do our best to link to them below – please keep checking back here for more updates.

UPDATE 10th August 2021

Article: “ChAdOx1 SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination: A putative precipitant of adrenal crises”

UPDATE 4th Feburary 2021

The Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group has published guidance in conjuction with a number of medical professionals stating that  “Patients with…other causes of adrenal insufficiency, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia…, fall into the vulnerable group. The government has issued guidance that patients with these conditions should be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures and advise people to work from home, where possible.”.

The guidance also provides information about which ‘UK Government priority groups‘ those with adrenal insufficiency fall into.

UPDATE 18th December 2020

The Society of Endocrinology has issued a statement about COVID-19 vaccines – read our news article here:

———————————–

UPDATE 24th April 2020

The Lead Editors of the European Journal of Endocrinology (EJE) have commissioned a review series entitled ‘Endocrinology in the time of COVID-19’.

Find all of these publications on the EJE’s site here, or view the specific Management of Adrenal Insufficiency paper here. 

———————————–

UPDATE 24th March 2020

Professor Stephanie Baldeweg, Consultant Endocrinologist, has shared a video on Twitter for all those with adrenal insufficiency. See the post here.

———————————–

UPDATE 20th March 2020

Guidance from the Society for Endocrinology and Metabolic Support UK has been recently updated.

Society for Endocrinology – Guidance updated to make clear that ‘patients with adrenal insufficiency should follow the stringent social distancing rules’. (Read more)…

Metabolic Support UK – Guidance updated to reflect Paracetamol/Ibuprofen advice (Read more)…

———————————–

UPDATE 18th March 2020

UK Government –  Guidance on social distancing for everyone in the UK and protecting older people and vulnerable adults

———————————–

UPDATE 16th March 2020

Society for Endocrinology – Coronavirus advice statement for patients with adrenal/pituitary insufficiency

Metabolic Support UK – Coronavirus Advice

———————————–

We have collected some guidance about the outbreak from the World Health Organizion below, as well as made some suggestions for people living with CAH.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

How does COVID-19 spread?

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment. Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

Read more from the WHO here.

 

Tips for people living with CAH

No specific advice has been issued for those with adrenal insufficiency or CAH. So, as well as following the advice for the general public from the WHO, we recommend the following:

• Remember ‘sick day rules’.
• Make sure you have enough medication on hand.
• Where possible, vaccinate against seasonal flu.

If any information specific to CAH does become available, we will publicise it as soon as we can.