Precocious puberty is one of the most common endocrine disorders seen by primary care
physicians and continues to be a major source of concern for both parents and providers.
Since the author’s previous review on this subject in Advances In Pediatrics in 2004 [
[1]
], there have been several reports that have added to the knowledge base and confirmed
that signs of puberty in girls are appearing earlier than in the past in the United
States as well as in other countries. In this article, the author reviews what pediatricians
should know about the physical findings seen during normal puberty and their hormonal
basis. The evidence that signs of puberty are appearing earlier than 30 to 40 years
ago, at least in girls, and the major theories about why this might be occurring are
also discussed. However, the key point to be made is that pediatricians should be
able to recognize the benign causes of early breast and pubic hair development, which
are, at least in the United States, far more common than the cases that might benefit
from treatment. The current state of knowledge concerning the diagnosis and treatment
of central (true) precocious puberty (CPP) and the red flags that might point toward
one of the rare causes of gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty (GIPP) are then
reviewed.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
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