Classic 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency is an autosomal recessive form of CAH characterized by a severe impairment of steroid biosynthesis in both the adrenals and the gonads, resulting in decreased excretion of cortisol and aldosterone and of progesterone, androgens, and estrogens by these tissues. Affected newborns exhibit signs and symptoms of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid deficiencies, which may be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early, especially in the severe salt-wasting form. Moreover, male newborns exhibit pseudohermaphroditism with incomplete masculinization of the external genitalia due to an impairment of androgen biosynthesis in the testis. In contrast, affected females exhibit normal sexual differentiation or partial virilization (summary by Rheaume et al., 1992).

This form of brachyolmia, here designated brachyolmia type 4, is characterized by short-trunk stature with normal intelligence and facies. The radiographic features include rectangular vertebral bodies with irregular endplates and narrow intervertebral discs, precocious calcification of rib cartilages, short femoral neck, mildly shortened metacarpals, and mild epiphyseal and metaphyseal changes of the tubular bones (summary by Miyake et al., 2012).

Cortisone reductase deficiency is a disorder in which there is a failure to regenerate the active glucocorticoid cortisol from cortisone via the enzyme 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, encoded by the HSD11B1 gene. Purified 11-beta-HSD acts readily as a dehydrogenase, inactivating cortisol to cortisone; however, in the presence of a high NADPH/NADP+ ratio, generated in vivo through the activity of microsomal hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PD; 138090), 11-beta-HSD switches to ketoreductase activity and generates active glucocorticoid. Lack of cortisol regeneration stimulates ACTH-mediated adrenal hyperandrogenism, with males manifesting in early life with precocious pseudopuberty and females presenting later with hirsutism, oligomenorrhea, and infertility. Biochemically, CORTRD is diagnosed through the assessment of urinary cortisol and cortisone metabolites and consists of measuring the ratio of tetrahydrocortisol (THF) plus 5-alpha-THF to tetrahydrocortisone (THE), which in CORTRD patients is typically less than 0.1 (reference range, 0.7 to 1.2) (summary by Lawson et al., 2011). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of cortisone reductase deficiency, see CORTRD1 (604931).

Early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis results in gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty, also known as central precocious puberty, which is clinically defined by the development of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys. Pubertal timing is influenced by complex interactions among genetic, nutritional, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. The timing of puberty is associated with risks of subsequent disease: earlier age of menarche in girls is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Central precocious puberty has also been associated with an increased incidence of conduct and behavior disorders during adolescence (summary by Abreu et al., 2013). For discussion of genetic heterogeneity of central precocious puberty, see CPPB1 (176400).

Individuals with TANGO2-related metabolic encephalopathy and arrhythmias can present in acute metabolic crisis (hypoglycemia, elevated lactate, mild hyperammonemia) or with developmental delay, regression, and/or seizures. The acute presentation varies from profound muscle weakness, ataxia, and/or disorientation to a comatose state. Individuals can present with intermittent acute episodes of rhabdomyolysis. The first episode of myoglobinuria has been known to occur as early as age five months. Acute renal tubular damage due to myoglobinuria can result in acute kidney injury and renal failure. During acute illness, transient electrocardiogram changes can be seen; the most common is QT prolongation. Life-threatening recurrent ventricular tachycardia or torsade de pointes occurs primarily during times of acute illness. Individuals who do not present in metabolic crises may present with gait incoordination, progressively unsteady gait, difficulty with speech, or clumsiness. Intellectual disability of variable severity is observed in almost all individuals. Seizures are observed outside the periods of crises in more than 75% of individuals. Hypothyroidism has been reported in more than one third of individuals.