[Prolonged remission of female hyperandrogenism after discontinuing glucocorticoid therapy]

Adrenal androgen hypersecretion either produced by genetic defects or reticular disfunction, is reduced by exogenous glucocorticoid administration and, as with any suppression therapy, it should relapse when the therapy is discontinued. However, prolonged remissions of adrenal androgen hypersecretion after discontinuing glucocorticoids have been described. We report 15 patients with adrenal hyperandrogenism and elevated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate that received treatment with dexamethasone. After one month of treatment with dexamethasone 0.5 mg/day, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels returned to normal and remained so during a mean of 19 months receiving dexamethasone 0.25 mg/day. One year after discontinuing therapy, hormone levels continued within normal range in all patients. It is concluded that a long remission period of adrenal hyperandrogenism was achieves after discontinuing glucocorticoid therapy.