Congenital Adrenal Hypertrophy (CAH) is a genetic condition where the adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone cortisol in a person's body. This abnormality affects women more frequently than men, but in both cases it can be devastating. It can lead to a life-threatening condition known as adrenal insufficiency, or can lead to adrenal failure if the condition is left untreated. The disease is not life threatening, but symptoms can include weight gain, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, increased heart rate and extreme fatigue. The effects of the condition can vary from person to person, but typically, a pregnant woman is at the highest risk for developing CAH.
Although there is no cure for the condition, it can be managed by controlling or managing the symptoms
If you have had any symptoms of CAH during your pregnancy, the best thing to do is immediately visit your doctor. There are a variety of different medications that can be used to control the symptoms, although none is considered a treatment for CAH. Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, can be used in conjunction with other medications to help control the symptoms of the condition, and in some cases doctors will even use an adrenalectomy to remove the adrenal glands altogether in patients suffering from CAH.
The reason for its occurrence is not yet completely understood, and although there has been some speculation, there is no known cause for this medical condition. However, a strong family history of adrenal hyperplasia or CAH is found in more than half of the patients who have it, so it appears that genetic influences play a role in the occurrence of the condition.
Although CAH cannot be passed from mother to child, some people may have a greater risk of developing the condition due to certain genetic disorders, such as sickle-cell anemia and hematocrit. However, CAH is inherited through the genes of both father and mother. If either parent carries a genetic abnormality that increases their risk for CAH, then a person is at a high risk of having the condition.
If a person has been diagnosed with CAH and is not pregnant, there is a good chance that they will develop adrenal insufficiency without treatment. When a woman becomes pregnant, the body produces hormones to help her deal with the stress associated with conceiving. During the pregnancy, the body often produces too much of the hormone cortisol. This excess cortisol can cause the adrenal glands to release excessive amounts of progesterone, which is used to help with regulating the body's temperature.
This excess progesterone level, combined with the adrenal's inability to regulate the body's temperature, can result in dangerously elevated levels of cortisol in the body. As the progesterone levels rise, the levels of cortisol begin to affect the body's ability to respond to stress. Eventually, the body becomes weak and the condition can progress into adrenal failure.
While CAH can occur in the adult population, it is more common in children and teens who are exposed to excessive amounts of cortisol during childhood and adolescence. In children, it is more likely to occur in boys and girls who have a history of being overweight, because the body responds to this form of stress by producing more of the hormone than it does in girls and overweight children.
In addition to being able to control the symptoms of the condition, treatment of CAH requires doctors to find the underlying causes and stop them before the condition can become worse. Many children who suffer from CAH need to undergo a diagnosis, which will determine what specific treatment is needed in order to stop the symptoms from getting worse. There are many options for treating this condition, but there are also natural remedies available that can help treat the problem while helping to prevent future symptoms from occurring in the future.