What is Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)?
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a family of inherited disorders affecting the adrenal glands. The most common form is 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD), which is inherited in severe or mild forms. The severe form, called Classical CAH, is usually detected in the newborn period or in early childhood. The milder form, called Non-classical CAH (NCAH), may cause symptoms at anytime from infancy through adulthood. NCAH is a much more common disorder than Classical CAH. Fortunately, CAH can be managed with medication and, with adequate care, affected individuals go on to live normal lives. CAH is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. It affects males and females in equal numbers. For a child to be born with either form of CAH, both parents must carry a gene for the disorder (see Figure 1). Scientists have pinpointed the location of the group of genes that causes the most common forms of CAH to chromosome 6. DNA testing is available for diagnosis of CAH and to detect carriers of t
