From the Research
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Hypertriglyceridemia
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessive disorders that can lead to multiple complex hormonal imbalances caused by various enzyme deficiencies in the adrenal steroidogenic pathway 1.
- Studies have shown that patients with CAH under glucocorticoid therapy may have abnormalities in their serum lipid profile, characterized mainly by an increment in serum triglycerides (TGs) 2.
- A case-control study found that 64.3% of patients with CAH had serum TGs more than 1.0 mmol/L, compared to only 14.3% in the control group, and the mean serum TG level was higher in the CAH group versus the controls 2.
- Another study found that CAH patients with adrenal hyperplasia had significantly higher triglyceride levels, which positively correlated with adrenal volume, hypogonadal/oligomenorrhoeic status, hypertension, androstenedione, aldosterone, and insulin resistance 3.
- A retrospective case-control study found that women with nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) had higher triglyceride levels compared to healthy controls, but lower than those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) 4.
- The evidence suggests that CAH may be associated with hypertriglyceridemia, particularly in patients under glucocorticoid therapy or with adrenal hyperplasia 2, 3, 4.