Effectiveness of Short-Term Canrenone Treatment in Idiopathic Hirsutism

In a study conducted 35 years ago, 9 women with post-puberal hirsutism were treated with canrenone, a major metabolite of spironolactone, for three months. The results showed a significant reduction in hair growth (Ferriman-Gallwey Index score decreased from 23 +/- 3 to 18 +/- 2, p less than 0.001). Additionally, there was a significant decrease in total testosterone (0.9 +/- 0.3 to 0.5 +/- 0.1, p less than 0.01), free testosterone (4.7 +/- 1.7 to 2.7 +/- 0.7, p less than 0.005), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (314 +/- 81 to 228 +/- 38, p less than 0.02), and sex hormone binding globulin (62.5% of basal values, p less than 0.001). There were no significant changes in 17-OH-progesterone and cortisol levels. The study concluded that canrenone could be an effective therapy for idiopathic post-puberal hirsutism due to its anti-androgenic effects.