Lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Patent Granted Lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia is an endocrine disorder that is an uncommon and potentially lethal form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). It arises from defects in the earliest stages of adrenal cortisol synthesis: the transport of cholesterol into the mitochondria of the cells of the adrenal cortex and the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone—the first step in the synthesis of all steroid hormones. Lipoid CAH causes mineralocorticoid deficiency in affected infants and children. Male infants are severely undervirilized causing their external genitalia to look feminine. Consequently, they are usually raised as girls. The adrenals are large and filled with lipid globules derived from cholesterol.