Initial high dose hydrocortisone (HDC) treatment for 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) does not affect linear growth during the first three years of life.

An initial high-dose treatment of glucocorticoid has been proposed to prevent chronic androgen excess, improving the final height prognosis of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) patients. In Japan, it is recommended to use an extremely high-dose of hydrocortisone (HDC) (100-200 mg/m(2)/day) for initial treatment by the Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology. However, a precise evaluation of the treatment has not been carried out.