Every year, an average of around 30 people in England and Wales die from adrenal crisis, undertreated or undiagnosed Addison’s Disease*.
Because of this the Addison’s Disease Self Help Group (ADSHG) teamed up with the Society for Endocrinology, which provided the kick-start funding for a how-to guide on giving an emergency hydrocortisone self-injection – an injection which could have saved some of those lives.
The aim was simple: to produce a series of short video clips which would give people with Addison’s – as well as their friends, family, school or work first-aiders – the knowledge and confidence to administer the injection correctly, using any of the available drug formulations. The charity was fortunate to have the close support and involvement of one of the UK’s leading adrenal specialists, Professor John Wass, who explains when it is necessary to give an emergency injection. You can find all videos on the ADSHG website. Below, watch when to give an emergency injection.
Above video: Adrenal crisis: when to give an emergency injection from Addisons Disease Self-Help Group video hub. Interview with Professor John Wass, Addison’s Clinical Advisory Panel Chair.
We hope that this education tool will not only save lives and reduce the length of hospital stays, but improve the confidence of those with Addison’s, helping them to maintain independence and overall quality of life. It pays to be prepared!
Patient Support Grant
Thanks to the Society for Endocrinology Patient Support Grant, funding was provided to begin the production of these life-saving videos. These grants assist small charities and patient support groups who work with endocrine-related conditions, and aim to fund projects directly benefitting patients.
The deadline for 2016 grant applications is now closed, but you can read more about the grant here, and start planning your application for 2017! We would love to hear from you in our quest to support patients.
Learn More
Watch all of the videos on the ADSHG website: How-To Guide: Addison’s Disease. They are also signposted on the ADSHG Facebook Page and Twitter feed.
*To learn more about Addison’s Disease, visit the Society website, You and Your Hormones.
The Endocrine Post 