Virilization means the clitoris of girls is enlarged, and may resemble the male penis to the that the same sex of the child is questioned or mistaken. Males have enlarged penile size. Virilized children grow abnormally rapidly because of the accelerated bone maturation and go through puberty very early but ultimately wind up being quite short as adults. .
Causes history and symptoms .
In its most severe form, called salt-wasting Adrenogenital Syndrome, a life-threatening adrenal crisis can occur if the disorder is untreated. Adrenal crisis can cause dehydration, shock, and death within 14 days of birth. There is also a mild form of Adrenogenital syndrome that occurs later in childhood or young adult life in which patients have partial enzyme deficiency.
Adrenogenital syndrome, a genetic disorder, is the most common adrenal gland disorder in infants and children, occurring in one in 10,000 total births worldwide. It affects both females and males. AGS is an inherited disorder. It is a recessive disease, which means that a child must inherit one copy of the defective gene from each parent who is a carrier; when two carriers have children, each pregnancy carries a 25% risk of producing an affected child.
In the severe salt-wasting form of Adrenogenital Syndrome , newborns may develop symptoms shortly after birth, including vomiting, dehydration, electrolyte (a compound such as sodium or calcium that separates to form ions when dissolved in water) changes, and cardiac arrhythmia.
In the mild form of Adrenogenital Syndrome , which occurs in late childhood or early adulthood, symptoms include premature development of pubic hair, irregular menstrual periods, unwanted body hair, or severe acne. However, sometimes there are no symptoms.
Diagnosis.
Adrenogenital Syndrome is diagnosed by a careful examination of the genitals and blood and urine tests that measure the hormones produced by the adrenal gland.