Association of androgen excess and bone mineral density in women with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia with 21-hydroxylase deficiency

Long-Term Outcomes of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

A plethora of negative long-term outcomes have been associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The causes are multiple and involve supra-physiological gluco- and mineralocorticoid replacement, excess adrenal androgens both intrauterine and postnatal, elevated steroid precursor and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, living with a congenital condition as well as the proximity of the cytochrome P450 family 21 subfamily A member 2 (CYP21A2) gene to other genes. This review aims to discuss the different long-term outcomes of CAH.

Association between Serum Total Testosterone Level and Bone Mineral Density in Middle-Aged Postmenopausal Women

BACKGROUND

Hormone status strongly affects women's health and quality of life. To date, studies investigating the association between total testosterone (T) level and bone mineral density (BMD) in women are limited and have yielded contradictory conclusions. The aim of our study was to examine the association between serum total T level and lumbar BMD in postmenopausal women aged 40-59 years.

METHODS

The study group included 1,058 women from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between serum total T level and lumbar BMD.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, there was a positive association between the serum total T level and lumbar BMD (β, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-1.97). A non-linearity in this association was identified, with a point of inflection at 30 ng/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum total T level was positively associated with lumbar BMD in middle-aged postmenopausal women up to a T level >30 ng/dL. Therefore, increasing T level in women with a low serum total T level may have beneficial outcomes on bone health.