Evaluation of Premature Pubarche Cases: Single Center Experience
April 2017
in “
Turkish Journal of Pediatric Disease
”
Studysummary This study found that 20% of children initially diagnosed with premature pubarche were later identified with other conditions like central puberty precox or congenital adrenal hyperplasia during follow-up, emphasizing the importance of ongoing differential diagnosis.
Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer
The study retrospectively evaluated 117 cases of premature pubarche (PP) in children, primarily girls, who exhibited pubic or axillary hair growth before the age of 8 for girls and 9 for boys. The mean follow-up period was 16.2 months. Findings indicated that 53.7% of girls and 56% of boys were overweight, and 21% of all patients had low birth weight. Elevated serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were observed in 76.5% of patients, correlating with advanced bone age. Among the cases, 80% were diagnosed with PP, 11% with central precocious puberty (CPP), 7.3% as carriers of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and 2.7% with classical CAH. The study concluded that differential diagnosis should be conducted carefully both initially and during follow-up, as 20% of PP cases were found to have other clinical pathologies. Mildly advanced bone age did not negatively impact final height.
