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Central precocious puberty due to hypothalamic hamartoma in a six-month-old infant girl

Narendra Kotwal1, Uday Yanamandra, Anil S Menon

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism
|July 28, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Precocious puberty, a rare condition, can be caused by central or peripheral factors. This case highlights an extremely early onset in a 16-month-old girl due to a hypothalamic hamartoma, a central cause.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Medical Case Reports

Background:

  • Precocious puberty is defined as pubertal onset before age 8 in girls and 9 in boys.
  • It affects approximately 1 in 5,000-10,000 individuals, with a 20:1 female to male ratio.
  • Etiologies are broadly classified into central and peripheral causes.

Observation:

  • A 16-month-old girl presented with symptoms of precocious puberty since 6 months of age.
  • The patient experienced isosexual (central) precocious puberty.
  • Diagnostic evaluation revealed a hypothalamic hamartoma as the underlying cause.

Findings:

  • This case represents one of the earliest documented instances of central precocious puberty.
  • Menarche occurred at an exceptionally early age (6 months) secondary to the hypothalamic hamartoma.
  • The hypothalamic hamartoma was identified as the specific central cause of the precocious puberty.

Implications:

  • Highlights the importance of early diagnosis and investigation of precocious puberty, even in very young infants.
  • Underscores hypothalamic hamartoma as a potential cause of central precocious puberty.
  • Contributes to the medical literature by documenting an extremely early-onset case, aiding in understanding rare pediatric endocrine disorders.

Keywords:
Gonadotropinshypothalamic hamartomaprecocious puberty

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