Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: An Endocrine Disorder with Neonatal Onset

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a lifelong endocrine disorder that manifests acutely in the neonatal period. In the affected female newborn, CAH is associated with variable degrees of genital ambiguity that are extremely distressing to the new parents. The manner in which health care professionals react in the delivery room, newborn nursery, or neonatal intensive care unit in the early postnatal period is important. Insensitive or inappropriate statements cannot only be hurtful to families but are long remembered and can shape the attitude formed by parents toward their newborn.