Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a lifelong disorder.

BACKGROUND

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), the most common cause of ambiguous genitalia of the newborn, requires rapid assessment by a multidisciplinary team including a neonatologist, paediatric endocrinologist, paediatric urologist and geneticist. There is also a role for the clinical psychologist with psychosexual counselling experience as families cope with disorders of sex development. This brief review summarises the continuum of disorders that are manifested in patients with CAH according to age and sex, with emphasis on the lifetime nature of the issues that accompany this disorder and on the long-lasting ramifications of pediatric management decisions for both males and females.

CONCLUSIONS

There are many management aspects of caring for patients with CAH that clearly fall into the purview of paediatricians or adult-care physicians. There are also areas where responsibilities overlap and require several professionals providing coordinated care.