Acute adrenal insufficiency can cause which of the following symptoms?

Acute adrenal insufficiency, also known as adrenal crisis, occurs when the body cannot produce enough cortisol in response to stress or illness. One of the hallmark symptoms of this condition is hypotension, which is a dangerously low blood pressure that can lead to shock. This happens because cortisol is essential for maintaining cardiovascular function and regulating blood pressure.

Extreme fatigue is another common symptom associated with acute adrenal insufficiency. Patients often experience a profound sense of weakness, lethargy, and an inability to perform daily activities due to this lack of cortisol, which plays a critical role in energy metabolism and the body's stress response.

The other symptoms in the choices are less characteristic of acute adrenal insufficiency. High fever and bradycardia, chest pain and respiratory distress, as well as headache and lightheadedness are not specifically linked to this condition in the way that hypotension and extreme fatigue are. Therefore, the combination of hypotension and extreme fatigue is a classic presentation of acute adrenal insufficiency.