Does precocious puberty require growth hormone treatment?

Written by Dong Xian Yan
Pediatrics
Updated on September 21, 2024
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For children with precocious puberty, a small number require combined treatment with growth hormones. For instance, if a child's height growth rate is less than 4cm, it is necessary to add growth hormones to promote growth and development. The second scenario involves using a bone age test; if the height is less than 151cm, growth hormones can also be used in combination for treatment. In the third scenario, if the child's bone age at the time of consultation has already exceeded 11.5 years, has significantly increased, or even if menstruation has started and their height has been clearly affected, it is generally advised to use growth hormones in combination with treatment.

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Written by Gan Jun
Endocrinology
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What are the effects of precocious puberty in girls?

Premature sexual development in girls can have significant impacts on their future, with one of the most common issues being effects on height. Premature sexual development can cause bone age to advance much earlier than in peers, which can lead to premature closure of the growth plates and result in a shorter stature. Additionally, it can have profound impacts on the individual's psychological and emotional well-being, leading to issues such as low self-esteem and anxiety. Premature sexual development can also cause early breast development and early menstruation, which may lead to premature romantic relationships and other early maturation behaviors. Therefore, it has a substantial effect on both the physical and mental development of girls. For such patients, it is crucial to detect, diagnose, and treat the condition early.

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Written by Zeng Hai Jiang
Pediatrics
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Does a hard lump in a child's breast mean precocious puberty?

Children's breasts have lumps, and it is indeed necessary to consider whether it is precocious puberty, but there are other conditions that can cause lumps in children's breasts. For example, cysts or other solid occupying lesions. Besides the development of secondary sexual characteristics, including the development of breasts, growth of axillary hair, and even menstruation in girls, if these secondary sexual characteristics appear before the age of nine and are accompanied by a recent rapid growth in height, then we need to consider the possibility of precocious puberty.

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Written by Zeng Hai Jiang
Pediatrics
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Can you grow taller after treatment for precocious puberty?

Precocious puberty, if identified and treated early, can allow for normal height growth. Precocious puberty refers to an abnormal condition where secondary sexual characteristics develop in girls before the age of eight and in boys before the age of nine. Based on the mechanism of onset and clinical presentation, it can be categorized into central precocious puberty and peripheral precocious puberty. The main risks of precocious puberty include shorter adult height, earlier sexual behavior, suppressed personality, and more. The primary goal of treatment is to improve the adult height of the affected child. Early detection and prompt treatment are crucial for improving the prognosis of children with precocious puberty. In addition to daily observations for signs of secondary sexual characteristics, it is also important to monitor for any sudden growth spurts in children under the age of ten.

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Written by Dong Xian Yan
Pediatrics
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What symptoms will appear in the pituitary gland with precocious puberty?

Children with precocious puberty should undergo a pituitary gland examination, which may reveal symptoms in two aspects: 1. Imaging examination such as pituitary MRI, which might uncover tumors in the pituitary gland that could lead to precocious puberty. 2. Hormone level tests, mainly involving the secretion of hormones controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. For example, the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone can cause precocious puberty. Precocious puberty is a relatively common endocrine disorder in children. Generally, it can be diagnosed in girls before the age of eight and in boys before the age of nine if secondary sexual characteristics appear.

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Written by Tong Peng
Pediatrics
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Will eating oysters cause early puberty in children?

Children eating oysters will not lead to precocious puberty, because oysters mainly contain protein and the trace element zinc. Precocious puberty is primarily caused by the intake of hormone-like foods, which disrupts the endocrine function in children, especially sex hormones such as estrogen and androgen. Oysters do not generally contain hormones, so there is no necessary connection between eating oysters and precocious puberty. However, it should also be noted that although oysters are nutritious, they are not suitable for excessive consumption because they are seafood products, and overeating may cause allergies or symptoms of indigestion. For precocious puberty, it is mainly about avoiding the intake of high-calorie foods and hormone-like foods in daily life, especially some out-of-season foods and the use of cosmetics containing hormones, which can all lead to precocious puberty.