During the physical examination of a patient for the endocrine system, diminished axillary and pubic hair may indicate the problem of:

Explanation

Diminished axillary and pubic hair can be associated with adrenal cortical insufficiency, particularly in women, because adrenal androgen production may also fall when the adrenal cortex fails. Among the given options, cortisol deficiency is the closest indicator of this adrenal-insufficiency state. Technically, the hair loss is more directly related to associated adrenal androgen deficiency than to cortisol deficiency alone.