Prenatal Dex Study

Overview

The classic form of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (prevalence 1/15,000) is the most common cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This autosomic recessive disease is responsible for virilization of the external genitalia in girls through androgen hypersecretion during fetal life. Since 1984, the Lyon Pediatric Endocrinology group has proposed prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) for all fetuses at risk of CAH With the aim of preventing fetal androgen hypersecretion in affected girls and avoiding poor long-term results from reconstructive surgery. Prenatal DEX was used in Europe and the USA but its use was recently suspended: in 2007, a Swedish study conducted on 26 children treated with DEX in utero for a short period of time reported cognitive impairments. These data were not confirmed by an American study on the short-term DEX use, which showed potential cognitive impairments in CAH children exposed to DEX for long periods of time. These confusing and controversial results have caused the scientific community to question its position and have resulted in the suspension of the use of prenatal DEX with drastic consequences for CAH girls (virilization; genital surgery etc.). In this context, an evaluation of neuropsychological development under in utero DEX is essential to validate its indication for use during the prenatal period. This study will evaluate outcomes using prospective cognitive and emotional assessments. It will first focus on the unaffected children previously treated in utero in order to assess the adverse effects of the drug. The study will then assess the children with CAH for whom DEX could have beneficial effects.

Conditions