Cause and consequences of precocious puberty

Abstract

Background. Precocious puberty (PP) means the appearance of secondary sexual characters before the age of eight years in girls and nine years in boys. There are two types of precocious puberty: central precocious puberty and peripheral precocious puberty. Objective of the study. To identify the etiology and consequences of precocious puberty. Material and methods. Over 150 publications were viewed and used from databases from online libraries like PubMed, NCBI, USMF library, Webmd and ResearchGate. Results. Central precocious puberty is the most common type. It occurs when child’s brain releases sex hormones (androgens) too early. Other names for central precocious puberty include gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty and true precocious puberty. Peripheral precocious puberty occurs because of problems with child’s reproductive organs (ovaries or testes) or adrenal glands. Sometimes it results from exposure to hormones in the environment. Linear growth acceleration is one of the important features of early puberty. So, the exact height, weight, growth velocity (cm/year) and BMI should be documented. In females, accurate Tanner staging of the breast should take place, which is particularly challenging in obese or overweight girls to differentiate between adipose tissue and the glandular breast tissue. In males, an orchidometer should be used to determine the testicular volume. Conclusions. Precocious puberty is an early onset of puberty and secondary sexual characteristics in children. It is a very difficult diagnosis as the differential ranges from benign variants to serious conditions such as malignancy. This activity reviews the early identification, assessment and management of precocious puberty and highlights the role of healthcare providers in identifying the condition and prompt referral to the pediatric endocrinologist for further management and prevention of complications.