The management of classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency

Development of the congenital adrenal hyperplasia knowledge assessment questionnaire (CAHKAQ)

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to develop a validated Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Knowledge Assessment Questionnaire (CAHKAQ) that can be used to identify deficits in the knowledge of families living with CAH regarding the disease and its management.

BACKGROUND

Management of CAH requires good parental and/or patient knowledge and understanding of the disorder, and the action required when clinical problems arise. Effective education initiatives are important in helping families to manage the disorder. However, there are currently no established questionnaires available to assess the knowledge of CAH.

METHOD

An extensive survey of the literature was conducted to develop a list of questions about CAH. The Delphi technique was used to develop and determine content validity of the CAHKAQ using a panel of 15 nursing and medical experts in endocrinology. The instrument was piloted to test for item variation, meaning and redundancy, and to determine instrument unidimensionality and internal consistency. The questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of family members (n = 98) of 36 children/adults with CAH recorded on the database of a large children's hospital endocrine clinic.

RESULTS

Three Delphi rounds were required to achieve final consensus for content validity. The resulting questionnaire contained 22 multiple-choice items and had a Flesch Reading Ease score of 67. Statistical analysis found the instrument to be internally consistent and unidimensional with a reported Cronbach's coefficient alpha of 0.67.

CONCLUSION

The CAHKAQ is a valid and reliable questionnaire suitable for use in conjunction with education about CAH.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The CAHKAQ will be invaluable in assessing parental and patient knowledge and understanding of the disorder and identifying deficits that can be addressed through education. Further research is required to determine whether the underlying factors of the instrument are consistent with components of CAH knowledge.

Blood pressure in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency

BACKGROUND

In patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) recording of blood pressure (BP) must be included in monitoring treatment to detect hypertension.

AIM

To investigate the BP patterns in patients with CAH.

METHODS

Twenty-three children and adolescents (age 6-17 years) and 11 adult patients (age 18-26 years) were studied (21 females, 13 males; 28 salt-wasting patients). In the whole group BP in the outpatient clinic was compared with BP under hospitalisation and in 11 of the children and adolescents also with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

RESULTS

BP in the ward in children and adolescents but not in adults was significantly higher than BP in the outpatient clinic, where BP was in the upper normal range. There was also a significant difference between BP in the outpatient clinic and the lower ABPM in the 11 patients tested. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in blood serum showed normal values.

CONCLUSIONS

BP measured in outpatients in a relaxed and calm atmosphere meets the requirements for monitoring of treatment. Measurement of BP on the ward leads to falsely high results. ABPM is not necessary. Estimation of ANP provides no additional information.

Different states of clinical control are associated with changes in IGF-I and IGFBPs in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency

OBJECTIVE

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) is characterized by high androgen levels, ambiguous genitalia or premature pubarche, increased height velocity and skeletal maturation. Considering the possibility of changes in the IGF system components depending on the state of clinical control, the objective of the present study was to analyse serum IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP levels in children with 21-OHD under two states of clinical control.

PATIENTS AND DESIGN

We studied 12 prepubertal children with 21-OHD CAH aged 4.0 +/- 0.7 years. They were classified as good (GC) or poor control (PC) based on growth rate, signs of adrenal insufficiency or Cushing syndrome, progression of sexual characteristics and serum androgens levels. Blood samples were obtained from each patient in two different states of clinical control (GC and PC) for biochemical measurements.

MEASUREMENTS

IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 were determined by immunoassays. IGFBPs were also analysed by Western ligand blotting (WLB).

RESULTS

Levels of IGF-I (P = 0.03) and IGFBP-3 (P = 0.01) were higher in GC than in PC while IGFBP-1 (P = 0.004) concentrations were lower in GC patients. A trend towards higher levels of IGF-II (P = 0.08) and lower levels of IGFBP-2 (P = 0.08) was observed in GC children. Increased IGFBP-4 band intensity was observed in GC children (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Higher levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-4, but lower levels of IGFBP-1, were associated with better control in children with 21-OHD CAH. These findings are different from those observed in children with other causes of increasing androgens levels and are likely to be related to the insufficient glucocorticoid status.

Early growth, pubertal development, body mass index and final height of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: factors influencing the outcome

OBJECTIVE

The management of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) remains a challenge, especially with regard to growth potentials. The objective of our analysis was to uncover the factors that influence the growth and final height of patients with CAH.

DESIGN

The linear growth pattern and body mass index (BMI) at different developmental stages (birth to 2 years, 2 years to puberty initiation and puberty initiation to final height) and the final height achieved were analysed retrospectively in 48 patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency; 17 with the salt-wasting (SW) form, 25 with the simple virilizing (SV) and six with the nonclassical (NC) form.

RESULTS

Mean final height (FH) and FH-SDS were, respectively, 170.8 +/- 5.6 m and -0.57 +/- 0.8 in males and 156.7 +/- 6 cm and -0.61 +/- 1 in females with the SW form, 166.1 +/- 6.1 cm and -1.05 +/- 1 in males and 151.6 +/- 5.4 cm and -1.4 +/- 1 in females with the SV form and 159.7 +/- 6.9 cm and 0.3 +/- 1.4 in females with the NC form. In subjects with the SW form, height SDS at 2 years, at puberty initiation and at FH were -0.18 +/- 0.9, 0.11 +/- 1.28 and -0.6 +/- 1.0, respectively. FH achieved was not different from target height (TH) in the SW group, but it was significantly lower than TH in the SV group (P = 0.003). FH in the SW group showed a positive correlation to the height achieved at 2 years of age (r = 0.68, P = 0.019), and height at 2 years was negatively related to the hydrocortisone dose in the birth to 2-year period (r = -0.79, P = 0.011). FH showed no correlation to hydrocortisone dose at any of the three developmental periods studied. BMI-SDS were not different in the various forms of CAH and showed no correlation to FH or hydrocortisone dose. Age at menarche was comparable to that in our general population.

CONCLUSIONS

Under our conditions of management, the final height of patients with the salt-wasting form was comparable to the target height and to the most favourable literature data. The patients with the simple virilizing form fare less well, mainly due to delayed diagnosis and consequent advancement of bone age and early puberty. In salt-wasting patients, height at 2 years is comparable to normals, it is influenced by the hydrocortisone dose and is related to the final height. Some height is lost during puberty. Hence, monitoring treatment over the first 2 years and during puberty is critical for the outcome in these patients.

Indicators of adult height outcome in classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency congenital adrenal hyperplasia

OBJECTIVE

To obtain objective information on the relationship between adult height (AH), glucocorticoid (GC) dose, and degree of hormonal suppression in a population of patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency congenital adrenal hyperplasia (21-OHD CAH) to optimize treatment regimes.

STUDY DESIGN

Multicenter retrospective chart review of patients with salt wasting 21-OHD CAH diagnosed in the first 6 months of life, and who had reached AH (n = 54). The data were compiled into a single database.

RESULTS

Mean adult height standard deviation score - midparental height standard deviation score was -1.1 for both sexes. Growth velocity was normal during childhood but compromised during infancy and puberty. Onset and tempo of puberty were normal-to-delayed. Bone age was closely correlated with chronologic age (r = 0.93). AH was negatively correlated with androstenedione in infancy (r -0.68; P =.03) and childhood (-0.66; P <.01) and with testosterone in childhood (r -0.44; P =.01), but not with dehydroepiandrosterone or 17-hydroxyprogesterone. GC dose was not associated with AH.

CONCLUSIONS

Mean AH was in the lower range of genetic potential in this group of persons with 21-OHD CAH. Androgen levels should be used in conjunction with growth velocity measurements to optimize GC dosing in persons with 21-OHD CAH.

The forgotten female: Pediatric and adolescent gynecological concerns and their reproductive consequences

Future reproductive performance is not often addressed in pediatric and adolescent gynecological conditions. This overview reviews conditions that present in childhood and adolescence and discusses what is known about the future fertility in these women. The following topics are selected: STD exposure, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, eating disorders, adolescent athletics, polycystic ovarian syndrome, premature ovarian failure, childhood cancer survivors, Mullerian duct anomalies, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, cystic fibrosis, and epilepsy.

Growth of patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency: an analysis of the factors influencing adult height

Growth of 92 Finnish patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) was analyzed retrospectively to study growth both before the diagnosis and during glucocorticoid substitution therapy. The patients were divided into two groups: those diagnosed at infancy (56 patients) and those diagnosed after the age of 1 y (36 patients). Birth lengths of those boys and girls diagnosed at infancy were greater than the national mean birth lengths (p < 0.001). Mean relative length diminished from +0.8 SD score (SDS) at birth to -1.0 SDS by the age of 1 y. Adult height was -1.0 SDS (159.9 cm) for women and -0.8 SDS (173.6 cm) for men. The difference from national mean height was significant only for women (p = 0.026). Mean relative weight during childhood correlated negatively with adult stature (r = -0.620; p = 0.006). In the group of children diagnosed later in their childhood, growth was already accelerated at infancy from +0.2 SDS at birth to +0.7 SDS by the age of 1 y (p = 0.023). The final height of girls diagnosed later in childhood was within normal limits (-0.5 SDS; 162.1 cm), whereas it was low in the corresponding group of boys (-2.1 SDS; 165.3 cm). Our data show increased mean birth length in babies with early diagnosis of 21-OHD and growth acceleration at infancy in children diagnosed later in their childhood, reflecting the growth accelerating effect of adrenal hyperandrogenism early during fetal life and infancy. To improve final height in patients with 21-OHD, lower doses of hydrocortisone should be used at infancy, and special attention should be paid to boys diagnosed later in childhood.

Adult height in women with early-treated congenital adrenal hyperplasia (21-hydroxylase type): relation to body mass index in earlier childhood

To investigate if obesity, as judged by increased body mass index (BMI), during childhood is associated with impaired adult stature in patients with 21-hydroxylase-type congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a retrospective analysis was carried out on outpatient records of 30 girls with CAH who had reached adult height. Height SD score for age (HtSDS(ca)), HtSDS for bone age (HtSDS(ba)), BMI and steroid dosage in early childhood (3.2-4.6 years) and later childhood (7.2-9.1 years), were compared with adult HtSDS (HtSDS(adlt)), adult HtSDS less mid-parental HtSDS (HtSDS(adlt)-HtSDS(mp)), predicted adult height SDS (HtSDS(pdct)), adult height SDS less predicted adult HtSDS (HtSDS(adlt)-HtSDS(pdct)) and age at menarche. Mean (SD) for HtSDS(adlt) was -1.13 (1.05), mean HtSDS(pdct) -0.12 (0.9) and mean age at menarche 13.5 (1.9) years. BMI in childhood was not correlated with HtSDS(adlt) but showed negative correlations with HtSDS(adlt)-HtSDS(mp) (r = -0.43; p < 0.02) and HtSDS(adlt)-HtSDS(pdct) (r-0.45; p < 0.02). BMI in later childhood showed negative correlations with HtSDS(adlt)-HtSDS(pdct) (r = -0.61; p < 0.001) and age at menarche (r = -0.63; p < 0.001). We conclude that in girls with early-treated CAH, a high BMI during early childhood is associated with loss of genetic height potential, and in later childhood with over-prediction of adult height and early menarche.

Adrenarche does not occur in treated patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia resulting from 21-hydroxylase deficiency

OBJECTIVE

There have been few studies of adrenarche in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). We have therefore sought to detect the onset of adrenarche in CAH patients and to investigate whether its evolution was influenced by the severity of the disease, the age at the onset of substitution therapy, or both.

DESIGN AND PATIENTS

Sixteen female CAH patients were studied longitudinally for 4-11 years. They were all given substitution therapy and treatments were well controlled as judged by repeated hormonal evaluations. The patients were divided into two groups: group A consisted of 10 girls with a severe classic (congenital) form, while group B included 6 girls presenting with a non-classic form.

MEASUREMENTS

Circulating levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), were determined as an indicator of adrenarche. Hormonal assessments included measurements of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), testosterone, ACTH and plasma renin activity. All were estimated by conventional specific assays.

RESULTS

Mean levels were analysed in consecutive two-year age periods. In group A, DHEAS levels were significantly lower at any age than in control subjects, and lower than in patients with non-classic CAH. DHEAS levels showed no increment with age. In group B, plasma DHEAS levels were surprisingly high for the age at the time of diagnosis, declining gradually on substitution therapy, although they remained somewhat higher than in group A.

CONCLUSIONS

The high DHEAS levels observed in untreated girls of group B are probably the result of chronic hypersecretion of ACTH. Under well controlled, non-suppressive substitution therapy, patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia showed no rise in DHEAS levels at the physiological age of adrenarche whatever the degree of the enzyme defect and whatever the age at onset of therapy.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a potential diagnosis for the neonate in shock

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (C.A.H.) is an autosomal recessive disorder which is often life threatening during the neonatal period prior to establishment of the diagnosis and instigation of appropriate treatment. In females the condition is usually detected at birth due to genital ambiguity. Unfortunately males or extremely virilized females often remain undetected until they suffer a potentially fatal adrenal crisis. Typically, a crisis occurs within the first couple of weeks of life and is preceded by a history of failure to thrive, lethargy and vomiting which may be misdiagnosed as resulting from pyloric stenosis. Vascular collapse and diminished consciousness ensue if adrenal insufficiency remains undetected. Initial biochemical investigation of the shocked neonate with C.A.H. reveals severe hyperkalaemia and hyponatraemia, which initially may be thought to be due to renal failure. Hypoglycaemia may also be a feature. Initial resuscitation requires intravenous saline and hydrocortisone. Once physiologically stable, oral steroids are used to replace absent glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. The psychosocial impact of having a critically ill baby, with a relatively uncommon genetic disorder, who requires lifelong treatment can be overwhelming for parents. There is an ongoing risk of adrenal crisis throughout the child's life during periods of physiological stress. Parents require education on the management of medication during normal childhood illnesses; the early indicators of crisis and instruction in injection technique. In addition to skilled technical nursing interventions for their baby, parents can benefit from accurate information and contact with the C.A.H. support group.

HLA haplotypes and hormonal studies in 25 Italian families of patients with classical and non-classical 21-OH deficiency

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of the HLA region and the molecular defect of the P450c21B gene in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency, we studied 89 individuals from 25 families of CAH patients (14 classical forms, 11 non-classical forms). The following immunogenetic and hormonal investigations were performed: HLA-A and B typing, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 21-hydroxylase A and B genes, and serum 17-OH-progesterone values determined basally and 60 min after ACTH stimulation. In the patients affected by the classical form, RFLP analysis revealed 5 deletions and 1 gene conversion in 6 haplotypes and no molecular defect in the others, who probably carry point mutations. In the patients with non-classical form we found P450c21A duplication in 11/18 haplotypes; 9 of the 11 patients shared the HLA-B14 allele. Utilizing both hormonal and genetic data we identified two cryptic forms; hormonal data alone failed to differentiate heterozygous from normal individuals.

Plasma 17-hydroxyprogesterone determination with two commercial immunoassays

Plasma 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OH-P) was determined by two commercially available immunoassay kits, a radioimmunoassay (RIA) (OHP-CT, CIS) and an enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) (Serozyme 17 alpha-OH-progesterone, Serono). The determination by RIA was performed according to two procedures, directly on plasma or on a crude plasma extract, whereas that by EIA used only the second procedure. These determinations were carried out in 27 infants below 1 year of age and in 33 women in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. The results were compared to those obtained by an in-home RIA (RIA-FRH) which includes an extraction step followed by chromatography on Sephadex LH 20 column. The levels observed were overestimated by both kits. In infants, interference from 17-hydroxy-pregnenolone (17-OH-5P) sulfate occurred when the RIA (CIS) kit was used directly on plasma samples. Using plasma extracts, 17-OH-5P interfered with EIA (Serono) in the infant group and with the RIA (CIS) in the second group. The two kits do not appear to be adequate for 17-OH-P determination at least in infants and in women in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

Presentation, acute illness, and learning difficulties in salt wasting 21-hydroxylase deficiency

The presentation, pattern of acute illness, and incidence of learning difficulties are described in 63 (33 boys, 30 girls) children with salt wasting 21-hydroxylase deficiency, drawn from a cohort study of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in the South West Region of England between 1968 and 1988. Thirty boys presented with a salt losing crisis from birth whereas the other three boys presented between 2 and 14 months of age with failure to thrive and hyponatraemia. Diagnostic uncertainty led to 13 (43%) of 30 girls developing a salt losing crisis. Five girls were misassigned as boys at birth. There were four deaths in the group, two due to salt losing crisis, one to complications of prematurity possibly compounded by 21-hydroxylase deficiency, and one from heart failure probably related to an excess of steroids. Acute admissions were common, especially during the first year of life, with convulsions in 7% of admissions. The 9% incidence of hypoglycaemia was considered to be an underestimate as blood glucose was measured in only 56 (22%) of 254 admissions. No convulsions occurred in the 38 (15%) admissions where the parents had given intramuscular hydrocortisone before bringing the child to hospital. A high incidence of learning difficulties was found among the 59 surviving children (9/30 (30%) boys and 6/29 (21%) girls), and in only two children could any factor other than 21-hydroxylase deficiency be invoked. Analysis of the subgroup with learning difficulties indicated that they were more ill at presentation with a significantly higher incidence of hypoglycaemia, and that growth in the first year was significantly worse. It is concluded that congenital adrenal hyperplasia remains a formidable disorder with an appreciable mortality and morbidity. The high incidence of learning difficulties seen in salt wasting 21-hydroxylase deficiency needs further attention. A prospective study is indicated to examine the effect of neonatal screening on morbidity from congenital adrenal hyperplasia, particularly the intellectual impairment seen in this study.