Endocrine Abstracts

Cortisol secretion follows a distinct circadian rhythm, with circulating levels low at sleep onset, beginning to rise between 0200 and 0400 h, peaking within an hour of waking and then declining through the day. This circadian rhythm is determined by the central endogenous clock (pacemaker) of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, located in the hypothalamic supra-chiasmatic nucleus. The HPA axis plays an important role in maintaining alertness and modulatin...

Background: No treatment guidelines exist for CAH adults. To address this we have undertaken a cross-sectional analysis of health status.Patients and methods: Three hundred and eighty patients from 17 tertiary centres were contacted: 203 (53%) consented (138 f, 65 m, median age 34 (range 18–69) years). One hundred and sixty-five had classic and 34 non-classic CAH. The UK prevalence is 3591 adults >18 years therefore the capture rate was 5.7%. Re...