Effects of androgen overproduction on skin target organs in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Abstract

Hun gar y. E ffe c t s of androgen overpr od u cti on o n skin target organs in children wit h congenita l adrenal hyperpla s ia. Two femal e sibs aged 2 , resp . 3 years were studied with clinically and biochemically proven congenital adrenal hyperplas ia (CAH) due to a 21-hydroxylase deficiency .Both of them showed clitoris hypertrophy and abundant growth of pubic hair.Axillary sweat was sampled over a period of 24 hours from these children and from normal prepubertal controls. Analysis showed that prepubertal children excreted no detectable amo unts of steroids, contrasting with the two CAH patients. In axillary swaet from the latter, significa nt levels of steroid sulphates were found. The ster oid moieties of these sulph ated were mainly deh ydroepiandrosterone, androstero ne, testostero ne and 5-a ndrostene -3S,17S-diol.