Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Women with Non-Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

The study compared 14 premenopausal women with untreated non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NC-CAH) to 20 healthy women and found that the NC-CAH group had higher levels of cardiometabolic risk factors, including 17-hydroxyprogesterone, insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocysteine, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, along with lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. These risk factors were associated with higher androgen levels and reduced insulin sensitivity. The study suggests that NC-CAH may increase cardiometabolic risk and challenges the traditional view of NC-CAH as a benign condition, indicating potential benefits of glucocorticoid therapy for reducing 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androgen levels. However, due to the small sample size, further research with more participants is needed to confirm these findings.