Abstract
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an endocrine condition that requires parents
to administer steroids up to three times daily, supplementing maintenance doses with
oral or injectable doses during times of illness. The purpose of this integrative
review was to explore the management, care, and associated health issues for children
with CAH and the family response to the condition. Four literature indexes were searched,
with 39 articles included. Four themes emerged: (a) Health- and Development-Related Issues, (a) Effects of Excess Androgens, (c) Life Experience of CAH, and (d) Managing and Averting Adrenal Crisis. Families having a child with CAH face complex concerns related their child's growth,
the fear of adrenal crisis events, and the consequences of atypical genitalia for
affected girls. Future studies should focus on interventions that provide guidelines
to increase parental preparedness in managing adrenal crises and creating support
systems for affected girls.
Key Words
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Biography
Louise Fleming, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC.
Biography
Marcia Van Riper, Professor and Chair of Family Health Division, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC.
Biography
Kathleen Knafl, Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 13, 2017
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
This research was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (grant #5T32NR007091-18), CARES Foundation Research Grant Award, and a Sigma Theta Tau Alpha research grant.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
