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Increased large artery intima media thickness in adolescents with either classical or non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Background: Increased artery intima-media thickness (IMT) was found in adults with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). No data are available in patients with non-classical (NC) CAH. Aims: To evaluate IMT in adolescents with classical and NC CAH and to compare the results with those recorded in a control population. Patients and methods: Eighteen adolescents with either classical (Subgroup A1) or NC CAH (Subgroup A2) were compared with 16 controls (Group B). All subjects underwent IMT ultrasonography measurement at different sites; results were correlated with clinical, metabolic, and insulin resistance (IR) data. Results: When compared with Group B, both subgroups exhibited higher IMT values at all sites. No differences were found between classical and NC CAH. Univariate analysis of factors impacting on IMT of CAH patients demonstrated that: a) abdominal aorta (AA) IMT was positively correlated with cumulative glucocorticoid doses, triglyceride serum levels, and diastolic blood pressure SD score and negatively with androstenendione and ACTH levels; b) common carotid (CC) IMT was positively associated with triglycerides and triglyceride/HDL ratio. At multiple regression analysis, the independent positive predictors of AA and CC IMT were respectively triglyceride levels and triglyceride/HDL ratio. Conclusions: a) Even adolescents with NC CAH and not only those with classical form may be at higher risk of artery alterations; b) this risk is not necessarily associated with either obesity or waist/height ratio or dyslipidemia; c) an important role in the pathogenesis of artery alterations in CAH may be played by intermittent iatrogenic hypercortisolism and secondary IR.