Differences in hormonal levels between heterozygous CYP21A2 pathogenic variant carriers, non-carriers, and females with non-classic congenital hyperplasia

• Autor(a) principal: Silva,Rita Santos
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Carvalho,Berta, Pedro,Jorge, Castro-Correia,Cíntia, Carvalho,Davide, Carvalho,Filipa, Fontoura,Manuel
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Arquivos de Endocrinologia e Metabolismo (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2359-39972022000200168
• topic: Heterozygous carrier; 17-hydroxyprogesterone; precocious pubarche; hyperandrogenism

ABSTRACT Objective: CYP21A2 mutation heterozygote carriers seem to have an increased risk of hyperandrogenism. However, the clinical relevance of the heterozygote carrier status and the reliability of hormonal testing in discriminating a carrier from a non-carrier are puzzling questions. We aimed to characterize a population of Portuguese females suspected of having non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NC-CAH) due to clinical and biochemical criteria and who have undergone CYP21A2 molecular analysis. Subjects and methods: Retrospectively, we have analyzed the clinical records of 131 females (32 girls aged 3-9 and 99 adolescents and premenopausal women aged 13-49) who underwent complete CYP21A2 molecular analysis due to suspicion of NC-CAH. We divided included participants into three groups according to the CYP21A2 molecular analysis: NC-CAH females (46), heterozygous carriers (49), and wild type (36). We then compared clinical signs and symptoms as well as biochemical and molecular data between carriers and NC-CAH individuals and between carriers and wild type females. We measured 17OHP by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: Clinical features were similar between groups. Heterozygous carriers presented higher basal and post-cosyntropin 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) than wild type individuals (p < 0.05) and lower basal and stimulated 17OHP levels than NC-CAH patients (p < 0.05). We discovered a considerable overlap between 17OHP levels among groups. The most common pathogenic variant we identified was p.Val282Leu. Conclusion: In this population of hyperandrogenic women and children, heterozygous carriers showed higher basal and stimulated 17OHP than non-carriers although normal basal and stimulated 17OHP responses do not exclude heterozygosity for CYP21A2 pathogenic variants. In this study, only the molecular analysis presented good sensitivity in identifying heterozygotes.