ESPE Abstracts

Background: Prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) treatment is in many countries offered to the pregnant woman, at risk of having a child with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), to reduce virilization in an affected female fetus. The treatment is effective in reducing virilization but may give long lasting effects on somatic and cognitive health. Here, we explore the potential effect on metabolism in children and adults not having CAH and exposed to DEX during the first trim...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is one of the most common autosomal recessive disorders, affecting around 1/10 000 newborns worldwide. Postnatally, patients with classic CAH are treated with life-long glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy, such as hydrocortisone or prednisolone, and in the more severe cases also with mineralocorticoids. A negative impact of GCs on human cognition such as memory deficits have been reported bot...

Background: Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are treated with life-long glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy. Negative effects on cognition, brain structure and function during working memory tasks have been identified. To date, no studies on functional connectivity during rest have been performed in patients with CAH. One study conducted on patients with Cushing’s syndrome, another disorder of cortisol imbalance, suggests that long-t...

Objective: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) requires life-long replacement of cortisol. However, this long-term GC-treatment could change the developmental trajectory of the brain and predispose patients to problems with cognition and mood regulation. Previously, we have found impairments in working memory in patients with CAH, as well as alterations in brain structure in regions of the central executive network (CEN). These changes could be associated wit...