Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 17-alpha-hydroxylase deficiency

What it is

A rare form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 17-alpha-hydroxylase (CYP17A1) deficiency and characterized by glucocorticoid deficiency, mineralocorticoid excess leading to hypokalemic hypertension and sex steroid deficiency (hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism). Undervirilization and even female phenotype in 46,XY males, primary amenorrhea in females and lack of pubertal development in both sexes is common. Residual CYP17A1 activity is associated with the severity of this condition with a large spectrum of variability, from presenting in early infancy, to unusually mild courses with isolated sex steroid deficiency but normal ACTH-stimulated cortisol in adult patients.

Key facts

Prevalence

1-9 / 1 000 000 (Europe)

Age of onset

Infancy, Neonatal

Inheritance

Autosomal recessive

Classified as

Disease

Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.

Signs and symptoms

These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.

Gene

ICD-10 codes

ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.

Cross-references