All About Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

When you hear the term “adrenal glands,” your mind might immediately jump to adrenaline. And those glands do produce the hormone behind your fight-or-flight response. That’s not all they do, though.

These small glands sit on top of your kidneys and do big work. They also make cortisol (the stress hormone), aldosterone (which helps to regulate your blood pressure), and some sex hormones. Clearly, they’re important.

That’s a problem for people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). With this condition, an enzyme reduction causes the adrenal glands to underperform.

Here at Fort Wayne Endocrinology, Ashok Kadambi, MD, FACE, and our team specialize in treating congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Today, we want to give you a brief overview of this condition and its treatment options.

CAH 101

CAH actually isn’t just one thing. Medical professionals identify congenital adrenal hyperplasia as a genetic disorder that affects the adrenal glands.

Under the broader CAH umbrella, this condition breaks into two camps. Classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia is the more severe form, and it usually gets diagnosed during infancy. The baby might have less appetite, fatigue, vomiting, or low blood pressure. They might also grow rapidly and have external genitals that don’t look typical.

Nonclassic CAH develops over time; it’s more common, and symptoms are less dire. As a result, it’s usually not diagnosed until adolescence or even adulthood.

In females, symptoms tend to include:

Irregular periods
A deep voice
Excessive body hair and/or facial hair

In both males and females, nonclassic CAH can contribute to rapid growth during childhood, acne, early pubic hair, and fertility problems.

Diagnosing and treating congenital adrenal hyperplasia

If these symptoms sound familiar, our team can help you determine if an adrenal gland issue is impacting you. We start by asking about your symptoms. Then, we review your medical and family history. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a genetic disorder, meaning it comes from your parents.

Next, we order several screenings: genetic testing, bloodwork, and urinalysis, which let us measure your hormone levels to find out what’s going on with your adrenals.

That allows us to develop a treatment plan for you. Most people can manage CAH with lifestyle changes and medication. We adjust the medication based on where you have adrenal shortcomings. If your adrenal glands aren’t making enough cortisol, for example, we prescribe an oral corticosteroid. Or if you’re short on aldosterone, we can replace it with mineralocorticoids.

We stay involved with you. Routine checkups and bloodwork help us monitor the effectiveness of your treatment plan, and we make adjustments as needed.

We’re here to help people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Book your appointment online or contact our Fort Wayne, Indiana, office today.