Precocious Puberty

By: Maria , Taylor, Meghan

Figure 2

Precocious Puberty!

• The time during which sexual and physical characteristics mature.

• The body changes happen earlier than normal. Figure 1

What age can this happen!?

• Usually puberty begins between ages 10-14 girls and ages 12-16 for boys.

• African americans may start puberty earlier around 9 years of age

• With this disease puberty could begin as early as age 6 or 7 in girls

• For boys puberty could begin as early as before age 9.

WHY!?

• The onset of puberty is normally triggered by the hypothalamus. It signals the pituitary gland to release hormones that stimulate the ovaries (in girls) and the testicles (in boys) to make sex hormones.

• Precocious puberty can be 5% inherited in boys and 1% inherited in girls.Figure 3

More on why!?

• Sometimes, precocious puberty stems from a structural problem in the brain (tumor), brain injury due to heat trauma, and infection (such as meningitis).

• Also disorders of the testicles, ovaries, or adrenal glands.

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6

How it affects the children.

• With this disease the kids usually do not achieve their full height, they may be taller when younger compared to their peers but when older they are short

• Girls can become more emotional, moody, and irritable at a younger age.

• Boys can become more aggressive and develop a sex drive that is very inappropriate for their young age.

Symptoms for girls!

• Breast development can happen as early as between 6 months and 3 years.

• Pubic or underarm hair development at a very young age

• A growth “spurt” before all of their peers, they may seem taller at a younger age

• Menstruation begins earlier• Acne at a young age• Also mature body odor at a young age.

Figure 7

Symptoms for boys!• Enlargement of the testicles

at a young age• Pubic, underarm, or facial

hair development earlier• Same as the girls they can

have a growth “spurt” before their peers, acne and mature body odor as a young age.

• Voice deepening at a younger age.

Figure 8

Diagnosis!

• It is diagnosed in the blood hormone levels

• A CT Scan of the brain or the abdomen can be used

• Also an MRI of the brain or the abdomen can be used to diagnose the problem.

Treatments!

• The doctor who diagnoses the child is called a pediatric endocrinologist who specializes in growth hormonal disorders in children

• The goal of the treatment is to stop or reverse sexual development and stop the rapid growth and bone maturation.

DRUG!

• There is a currently approved hormone treatment is with drugs called LHRH analogs: synthetic hormones that block the body’s production of the sex hormones that are causing the early puberty.

After Treatment

• In girls, breast size may decrease or there will be no further development.

• In boys, the penis and testicles may shrink and go back to the expected size for their age.

• In both, the growth height comes to a halt and the behavior goes back to normal according to their age.

INTERESTING FACTS!

• Precocious puberty is 10 times more common in girls then in boys.

• Pregnancy has been reported in a child with precious puberty as early as age 5.

• The earlier before age 12 that a girl starts her menstural cycle the higher risk for breast cancer.

References!