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Dexamethasone Suppression Test in the Management of Hyperandrogenized Patients

From the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California

Abstract

The authors evaluated 86 hyperandrogenized women with measurements of serum cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone in pooled sera before and after a dexamethasone suppression test. According to strict criteria, 70 (81%) of 86 women demonstrated a major glucocorticoid-suppressible component to their hyperandrogenism. Endocrine therapy was dictated by the results of the dexamethasone suppression test. To assess the predictive value of this test, we evaluated the clinical responses of a subgroup of 55 women who received appropriate endocrine suppression therapy for 6 to 15 months. Of this subgroup, 38 were identified as having adrenal hyperandrogenism; 3 had ovarian hyperandrogenism; and 14 had mixed hyperandrogenism. Of the 55 patients, 49 received dexamethasone alone; 3 received dexamethasone plus Ovral (an oral contraceptive containing the synthetic progestogen norgestrel 0.5 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.05 mg); and 3, all with ovarian hyperandrogenism, received depomedroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera). Clinical response was assessed in terms of improvement or no improvement in menstrual status, acne, and hirsutism. Of 29 patients with adrenal or mixed hyperandrogenism associated with abnormal menses, the menstrual status of 17 (59%) improved after dexamethasone therapy. Acne improved in 39 (100%) of 39 subjects. Hirsutism showed moderate to marked improvement in 40 (73%) of 55 women after 6 to 15 months of endocrine suppression therapy. These results indicate that endocrine suppression therapy, particularly with repeated low-dose dexamethasone, prescribed on the basis of a dexamethasone suppression test, is an effective means of managing hyperandrogenism.

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