05 Jul Some Patients with PCOS May a Have Form of Congenital Adrenal Hyplasia

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Evgenia Gourgari

Dr. Evgenia Gourgari MD
Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Program on Developmental Endocrinology & Genetics (PDEGEN) & Pediatric Endocrinology Inter-institute Training Program
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Bethesda, MD 20892

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility among women of reproductive age ,yet the etiology of this syndrome remains unknown. Women with PCOS can have high androgens, irregular periods, cysts in their ovaries, acne, excessive facial hair. Women with PCOS are also at high risk to develop diabetes. Androgens and cortisol are hormones that produced from the adrenal glands. We wanted to investigate whether a group of women with PCOS have an adrenal disorder as underlying etiology of PCOS.

We found a group of women with PCOS produced more adrenal hormones compared to healthy women and these women also had some characteristics of micronodualr adrenal hyperplasia in their adrenals. Our findings suggest that a problem in the adrenal glands mostly involved in their steroid hormone secretion and how this is regulated may be the underlying cause of PCOS in a subgroup of women with this syndrome.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Some women with PCOS might have a problem with their adrenal gland, but more research is needed to better understand the role of adrenal glands in the development of PCOS syndrome.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Future research in a larger group of women with PCOS is needed to validate our findings. More research is needed to examine whether treatment that improves adrenal hormones can also improve symptoms of PCOS.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: This is a proof-of-principle study showing that a subset of women with PCOS have a problem with their adrenal glands that maybe they were born with. It is a new idea in the field and needs validation but it may lead to elucidating at least part of the etiology of this complex and multifactorial condition.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Jun 23:jc20154019. [Epub ahead of print]
Bilateral adrenal hyperplasia as a possible mechanism for hyperandrogenism in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Gourgari E1,2, Lodish M1, Keil M1, Sinaii N3, Turkbey E4, Lyssikatos C1, Nesterova M1, Sierra M1, Xekouki P1, Khurana D5, Ten S5, Dobs A6, Stratakis CA1.

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Last Updated on July 5, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD