Lipid profile in girls with precocious puberty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Many studies have investigated the impact of precocious puberty on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and the association between lipid profile levels and precocious puberty. However, the results have been inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL)and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were altered in girls with precocious puberty compared with healthy controls.

References published before June 2022 in the EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched to identify eligible studies. A DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model was used to evaluate the overall standard mean difference (SMD) between precocious puberty and healthy controls. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were preformed, and publication bias was assessed.

A total of 14 studies featuring 1023 girls with precocious puberty and 806 healthy girls were selected for analysis. The meta-analysis showed that TG (SMD: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.55; P = 0.04), TC (SMD: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.59; P = 0.04), LDL (SMD: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.84; P = 0.02)levels were significantly elevated in girls with precocious puberty. HDL levels did not change significantly (SMD: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.61; P = 0.62). Subgroup analyses revealed that the heterogeneity in the association between lipid profile and precocious puberty in this meta-analysis may arise from disease type, region, sample size, chronological age, body mass index difference and drug usage.

Lipid profile levels altered in girls with precocious puberty compared with healthy controls. In order to minimize the risk of CVD morbidity and mortality, early interventions were needed to prevent obesity in children and adolescents, especially those with precocious puberty.