Precocious Puberty

It is defined as the condition in which child developed into an adult too early before the specific time. Puberty starts in girls at age 10-12 and in boys 12-14 but if it occurs before 8 in girls and before 9 in boys then it is known as precocious puberty.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Precocious puberty include:

Adult body odor
Rapid growth
Acne
Breast growth
Pubic hair
Enlarged testicles / penis
Facial hairs
Deepening of voice in boys

Causes

The exact cause of this condition is still unknown but certain theories suggested that there are central and peripheral cause of precocious puberty which induce excess growth and sex hormone production due to which precocious puberty occus like any tumor in pituitary.

Complications

complications of precocious puberty include:

Social problems
Emotional problems
Short height

Diagnosis

After taking history your doctor might be recommend the following tests:

Physical examination
Blood test to check the complete blood count
Blood hormone level
X-ray of bones

Treatment

The focus of treatment is to stop the abnormal growth of child. There are many medications which help in this condition which include:

GnRH injections which delay the growth
Treated any tumor which produce abnormal amount of growth hormone
Growth hormones inhibitors

Precocious Puberty