Genotype, Mortality, Morbidity, and Outcomes of 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Algeria

Background: 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (3 beta HSD2) deficiency is a rare form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), with fewer than 200 cases reported in the world literature and few data on outcomes. Patients and Methods: We report a mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional study from a single Algerian center between 2007 and 2021. Virilization and under-masculinization were assessed using Prader staging and the external masculinization score (EMS), pubertal development staged according to the system of Tanner. Adrenal steroids were measured using mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS/MS). A genetic analysis of HSD3B2 was performed using Sanger sequencing. Results: A 3 beta HSD2 defect was confirmed in 6 males and 8 females from 10 families (8 consanguineous), with p.Pro222Gln mutation in all but two siblings with a novel deletion: c.453_464del or p.(Thr152_Pro155del). Probable 3 beta HSD2 deficiency was diagnosed retrospectively in a further 6 siblings who died, and in two patients from two other centers. In the genetically confirmed patients, the median (range) age at presentation was 20 (0- 390) days, with salt-wasting (n = 14) and genital anomaly (n = 10). The Prader stage for female patients was 2 (1-2) with no posterior fusion of the labia. The EMS for males was 6 (3-9). Median (range) values at diagnosis for 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and 17-hydroxypregnenolone (17OHPreg) were elevated: 73.7 (0.37-164.3) nmol/L; 501.2(9.4-5441.3) nmol/L, and 139.7 (10.9- 1500) nmol/l (NB > 90 nmol/L diagnostic of 3bHSD2 defect). Premature pubarche was observed in four patients (3F:1M). Six patients (5F:1M) entered puberty spontaneously, aged 11 (5-13) years in 5 girls and 11.5 years in one boy. Testicular adrenal rest tumors were found in three boys. Four girls reached menarche at 14.3 (11-14.5) years, with three developing adrenal masses (surgically excised in two) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with radiological evidence of ovarian adrenal rest tumor in one. The median IQ was 90 (43-105), > 100 in only two patients and < 70 in three. Conclusions: The prevalence of 3 beta HSD2 deficiency in Algeria appears high, withp.Pro222Gln being the most frequent mutation. Mortality is also high, with significant morbidity from adrenal tumors and PCOS in adolescence and an increased risk of learning disability. The finding of adrenal tumors in older patients with 3 beta HSD2 indicates under-replacement, requiring effective hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone treatment rather than surgical removal

Automated summary

3 beta HSD2 deficiency has a high prevalence in Algeria, with main symptoms including salt-wasting and genital anomalies. The most frequent genetic mutation is p.Pro222Gln, and patients with this condition have a higher mortality rate, as well as an increased risk of adrenal tumors and PCOS in adolescence.