Question

Discuss Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH). Your answer should include what we know about its cause, how individuals with CAH are affected anatomically and behaviorally, and what should be done when raising an individual with CAH.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia is a hormonal disease that affects the production of the sex steroid in an individual. This means that it affects the child’s normal growth and development. Although with the right treatment, most people are able to lead fairly normal lives.

Generally, the females affected by this disease may have ambiguous genitalia, which can be fixed through corrective surgery. Males affected by this disease can have abnormally large genitalia. With replacement hormone medication, the issues that the males face can also be controlled.

Basically, this is an inherited genetic condition in which the patient produces excessively large amounts of male hormones. These patients might suffer from several symptoms like low blood pressure, dehydration, water-electrolyte imbalance, unusual development of reproductive organs, vomiting, stunted height and other issues.

Studies have shown that there have been more cases of depression, anxiety, social issues and attention problems with children who suffer from CAH. Such issues are faced because of a certain level of frustration that the symptoms might bring about. Furthermore, development impairment might lead to bullying in social situations, garnering negative attention that might worsen the child’s self-esteem and other problems. In such cases, it is essential for the parents to be able to provide the emotional stability that the child needs. Furthermore, it would be emotionally healthy for children affected by such issued to regularly see a therapist for knowing the best ways to cope with social stress.