Experts recommend newborn screening
The Endocrine Society has released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.
The guideline, published in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society, is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrine Society, the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, the European Society of Endocrinology, the Society for Pediatric Urology, among others.
CAH is a genetic disorder of the adrenal glands that affects about one in 10,000 to 20,000 newborns, both male and female. The adrenal glands make the steroid hormones cortisol, aldosterone, and androgens. In individuals with CAH, the adrenal glands produce an imbalance of these hormones, which can result in ambiguous genitalia in newborn females, infertility, and the development of masculine features, such as development of pubic hair and rapid growth in both boys and girls before the expected age of puberty.
"If CAH is not recognized and treated, both girls and boys undergo rapid postnatal growth and early sexual development, or in more severe cases, neonatal salt loss and death," said Phyllis Speiser, MD, of Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York and Hofstra University School of Medicine, and chair of the task force that developed the guideline. "We recommend that every newborn be screened for CAH and that positive results be followed up with confirmatory tests."
"People with classic CAH should have a team of health care providers, including specialists in pediatric endocrinology, pediatric urologic surgery (for girls), psychology and genetics," said Speiser. "Other than having to take daily medication, people with classic CAH can have a normal life."
Bazelon Center lauds GA/U.S. Justice agreement
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law voiced its support for the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Georgia for reaching agreement in a lawsuit aimed at moving people in Georgia who have mental disabilities out of "harmful state institutions and serving them instead in the community."
"While not a panacea, this agreement takes the first step to ensuring that Georgians are afforded mental health services that are fully integrated into the community, as the Olmstead Supreme Court decision and the Americans with Disabilities Act demand," said Robert Bernstein, PhD, executive director of the Bazelon Center, in a news release from the center.
The center represents a coalition of stakeholders that has advised the federal district court in the case, known as United States v. Georgia.
The Endocrine Society has released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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