Timing of puberty and psychiatric and somatic diseases in childhood: a population-based study

To determine if childhood diseases are associated with the timing of puberty.

Our population-based study (6347 girls and 6833 boys born 1997-2002) modelled associations between age at peak height velocity (PHV) and ICD-10 diagnosis codes obtained before age 18.

Linear regression was used. The data were adjusted for gestational age at birth, birth weight standard deviation score, body mass index at age 6, maternal smoking status during pregnancy, and mother's working status.

Earlier pubertal timing (lower age at PHV) was associated with a subsequent diagnosis of depressive episode in both girls (β = -2.7 months, 95% CI = -4.0 to -1.3, P < .001) and boys (β = -2.8 months, 95% CI = -4.8 to -.7, P = .009) and in girls, also with anxiety disorders (β = -2.5 months, 95% CI = -4.0 to -1.1, P < .001). Among somatic diagnoses, later pubertal timing was associated with celiac disease (β = 7.4 months, 95% CI = 4.0 to 10.7, P < .001) and seronegative juvenile polyarthritis (β = 16.1 months, 95% CI = 6.6-25.6, P = .001) in girls, and acute tubulo-interstitial nephritis in boys (β = 5.2 months, 95% CI = 1.8-8.5, P = .003). In boys, earlier pubertal timing was associated with viral pneumonia (β = -10.5 months, 95% CI = -18.3 to -2.6, P = .009) and meningitis (β = -18.9 months, 95% CI = -30.0 to -7.8, P = .001). These somatic diagnoses were typically recorded before age at PHV, except that celiac disease was diagnosed close to PHV. As expected, the PHV-based method identified cases of precocious and delayed puberty.

We showed associations between ICD diagnostic codes of somatic and psychiatric diseases and the age at PHV, which is an objective method to determine the timing of puberty. Psychiatric and chronic somatic diagnoses showed contrasting associations with pubertal timing.