Precocious puberty

Precocious puberty refers to the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics before age 7 or 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys, without treatment. Paradoxically, it leads to large stature in childhood, but short stature in adulthood. Learn more about the condition, its diagnosis and the different treatment options available.

 
The main consequence of precocious puberty is small adult stature. Treatment with GnRH analogs has been the treatment of choice since the 1980s for central precocious puberty. They block further pubertal development, slow the advancement of bone age and normalize the pace of growth. All of these actions provide hope for the child reaching an improved adult height. The suppression of gonadotropins by the analogs can be reversed and gonadotrope activity resumes a few months after treatment is discontinued.

7 or 8

the average age of precocious puberty in girls

9

the average age of precocious puberty in boys.

Acromegaly

Acromegaly, or Pierre Marie's disease as it is sometimes called (after the first doctor to accurately describe the symptoms), is a hormonal disorder characterized by abnormal bone growth, enlarged hands and feet, and thickened, enlarged face. Learn more about this rare endocrine disease, its diagnosis and the different treatment options available.

Growth hormone deficiency

Growth hormone deficiency is often caused by a disorder in the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland and produces a number of negative consequences for both children and adults, including delayed growth and metabolic disorders, etc. Learn more about the condition, its diagnosis and the different treatment options available.

Severe primary IGF-1 deficiency

Severe primary IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1, a protein that mediates the effects of growth hormone) deficiency causes delayed growth in children and adolescents, as well as a range of anatomical, morphological and physiological disorders. Learn more about the condition, its diagnosis and the different treatment options available.

Turner syndrome

A condition that affects only girls and women, Turner syndrome is caused by the total or partial absence of one of the two X chromosomes. It causes short stature, infertility and a number of other problems. Learn more about the condition, its diagnosis and the different treatment options available.
Last update 13/04/2017