Dexamethasone Treatment of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

The purpose of this study is to determine if dexamethasone given at night is a more effective treatment for congenital adrenal hyperplasia in young children than standard three times per day hydrocortisone. Our hypothesis is that nocturnal dexamethasone will lead to more efficient suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We performed a cross-over trial comparing hormonal control during two 24-hour hospitalizations, one on hydrocortisone and one on nocturnal dexamethasone.