Precocious puberty in children

To determine the etiology of precocious puberty in children and to compare the clinical and laboratory parameters of central and peripheral precocious puberty.

Cross-sectional study.

Endocrine Clinic at National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, from January 2009 to December 2011.

Children presenting with precocious puberty were included. The age of onset of puberty was documented. Clinical evaluation, Tanner staging, height, height SDS, weight, weight SDS, body mass index, bone age, pelvic USG, plasma estradiol level and GnRH stimulation were done. Ultrasound of adrenal glands, serum level of 17 hydroxyprogesterone, ACTH, Renin, aldosterone and testosterone were performed in children with peripheral precocious puberty. MRI of adrenal glands and gonads was done in patients with suspected tumor of that organ and MRI of brain was done in patients with central precocious puberty. Skeletal survey was done in patients with Mc Cune-Albright syndrome.

CAH (81.8%) indentified as a main cause in peripheral percocious puberty and idiopathic (67.74%) in central precocious puberty. Eighty five patients were registered during this period. The conditions causing precocious puberty were central precocious puberty (36.47%), peripheral precocious puberty (38.82%), premature pubarche (10.58%) and premature thelarche (14.11%). There was a difference in the age of onset of puberty in case of central precocious puberty (mean=3, 2-6 years) versus peripheral precocious puberty (mean=5.25; 3.62 - 7.0 years). Children with central precocious puberty showed higher height SDS, weight SDS, FSH, LH than those with peripheral precocious puberty.

Etiology in majority of cases with peripheral precocious puberty was congenital adrenal hyperplasia and idiopathic in central precocious puberty. Central precocious puberty children showed higher height SDS, weight SDS, FSH, LH than peripheral precocious puberty.