Endocrine Abstracts

Objective

To determine the clinical, biological and etiological aspects of hirsutism.

Material

A retrospective study from 2009 to 2017 included 51 patients explored and followed for hirsutism in the endocrinology department of the Rabta hospital.

Results

The mean age of hirsute patients was 29 years, their average age of menarche was 12 years old. Hirsutism appeared before puberty in 2%, during the puberty in 49% and after puberty for 49%, It appeared progressively in 97% and abruptly in 3% of the cases. The degree of hirsutism according to the Ferriman and Gallway score was minimal in 48%, moderate in 41% and finally severe in 11%. It was associated with cycle disorders in 52% of the cases. Signs of hyperandrogenism were found in 6.5% of our patient. 62% of them were obese and 30% were overweight. An arterial hypertension was found in 18%, diabetes in 22%, glucose intolerance in 2% and dyslipidemia in 29% of the cases. Testosteronemia was increased in 31% of cases. The etiologic investigation showed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in 30 patients (59.2%) associated with obesity in 19 cases and eleven patients had metabolic syndrome. Idiopathic hirsutism was found in 13 patients (25%), congenital adrenal hyperplasia in 10% with only one case of ovarian tumor and two cases of cushing syndrome (1.6%).

Discussion

Hirsutism is a frequent endocrinopathy. It may be associated with a metabolic syndrome. A rigorous etiological investigation is required before the treatment. The total testosterone assay is recommended for this etiologic survey in first intention.