Endocrine Abstracts

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic endocrine disorder associated with long-term health risks. Supported by the Society for Endocrinology, the original CaHASE study consisted of an initial questionnaire to UK centres providing specialist care to adults with CAH, followed by a nationwide audit. Three hundred and seventy-three patients from 17 centres were contacted between 2004 and 2007, 203 of whom agreed to participate (138 women, 65 men, median age 34 (range 18-69) years). Patients were evaluated for metabolic, anthropometric and subjective health status, comparing values with Health Survey for England data or appropriate reference cohorts. Only a minority of patients were under specialist care, glucocorticoid replacement was largely non-physiological and androgen concentrations were poorly controlled. This was accompanied by a high prevalence of adverse metabolic risk markers, subfertility and impaired quality of life. This presentation will review these data and will highlight the areas of clinical practice where improvements in management are required.