Novel genetic associations could pave the way for early interventions and personalized treatment of an incurable condition.
Scientists from the University of Bergen (Norway) and Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) have discovered the genes involved in autoimmune Addison's disease, a condition where the body's immune systems destroys the adrenal cortex leading to a life-threatening hormonal deficiency of cortisol and aldosterone.
Groundbreaking study
The rarity of Addison's disease has until now made scanning of the whole genome for clues to the disease's genetic origins diff