Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Physiological glucocorticoids play an essential role in bone formation but can cause osteoporosis if present in excess. The key enzyme converting inactive cortisone into the active cortisol and vice versa is 11-beta-hydroxy-steroid-dehydrogenase (11β-HSD1). We have reported that genetic variations in the HSD11B1 gene correlate with increased cortisol levels in dexamethasone suppression and with changes in bone mineral density (BMD) suggesting indivi...