What is the main hormone that triggers puberty?
LH
~1- 3 yr before onset clinically evident puberty, LH levels become detectable during sleep in pulsatile pattern
What are the cut offs for precocious puberty in boys and girls?
Boys <9 years (early puberty is more pathologic)
-NOTE: Onset of puberty= testicular enlargement
Girls <8 years (THELARCHE)
-NOTE: Onset of puberty=thelarche
What are the cut offs for delayed puberty in boys and girls?
Girls > 13 (thelarche), >15 (menses)
NOTE: Late puberty rare in girls, commonly organic
Boys > 14
What is the first clinical sign indicative of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal activation in girls and boys?
Girls-breast buds
Boys-testes volume (>4ml) or length >2.5 cm
Describe SMR staging for girls (breasts)?
Stage 1: Prepubertal, with no palpable breast tissue
Stage 2: Breast bud, with elevation of the papilla and enlargement of areolar diameter
Stage 3: Enlargement of breast, without separation of areolar contour from breast
Stage 4: Areola and papilla project above the breast, forming a secondary mound.
Stage 5: Recession of the areola to match contour of breast, with papilla projecting beyond contour
Describe SMR staging for boys (genitals)?
Stage 1: Prepubertal. Testicular volume <1.5ml, penis <3 cm
Stage 2: Enlargement of scrotum and testes (testicular volume 1.6-6ml); scrotal skin reddens and changes in texture
Stage 3: Enlargement of penis (to about 6 cm); further growth of testes (6-12 ml)
Stage 4: Increased size of penis (10cm) with growth in breadth and development of glans; testes (12-20 ml) and scrotum larger, scrotal skin darker
Stage 5: Adult genitalia (testicular volume 20 ml), penis 15 cm
What is a differential diagnosis of precious puberty?
Central:
Peripheral: A. Girls -Ovarian cyst -Ovarian tumor -McCune Albright -Prolonged untreated hypothyroidism) -Exogenous estrogen/testosterone -Severe longstanding hypothyroidism -CAH -Estrogen-secreting adrenal tumour -McCune Albright
B. Boys
What is premature adrenarche?
Due to early maturation of adrenal androgen production
Benign, non-progressive pubertal variant
What bloodwork might you do for premature adrenarche?
How do you differentiate premature adrenarche from peripheral precocity?
Premature adrenarche:
Associated with increased weight
True puberty at normal age
Normal penile length
Precocity:
Bone age >2 years advanced
Marked hyperadrogenism (e.g. clitoromegaly)
Can have longer penile length (because of excess testosterone)
What is premature thelarche?
Onset 6-24 mo
Isolated to breast development
Benign non-progressive pubertal variant
How do you differentiate premature thelarche from precocious puberty?
Premature thelarche:
Preciocious puberty:
Does premature adrenarche increase the risk of PCOS?
YES
What investigations should you order for premature thelarche?
Bone age
Continued observation for GV and secondary sexual characteristics
How do you test for familial male limited precocious puberty?
Genetic testing LHCGR
If you see discrepancy and penis size/pubic hair and testicular growth, is this more indicative of central or peripheral precocity?
Peripheral
Excess androgen causes penis to enlarge, pubic hair
However, FSH is supressed so there is no stimulation of Sertli cells to cause testicular enlargement
What are the clinical manifestations of McCune Albright?
What initial tests do you order for peripheral precocity
Girls: bone age, TSH, LH, FSH, estradiol, GnRH stim testing → AUS for peripheral, MRI brain for central
Boys: bone age, TSH, LH, FSH, testosterone, GnRH stim, imaging essential MRI/CT brain
When do you do an MRI for precocious puberty?
All boys with precocity
All girls <6 with precocity
What is the most sensitive test to determine onset of puberty?
Basal LH > 0.3 IU/L
What is a differential diagnosis of delayed puberty in girls?
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism:
Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism: Turner syndrome Ovarian radiation POF (Galactosemia Fragile X) Complete AIS Chemo
What is the differential diagnosis of delayed puberty in boys?
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism:
Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism:
What test would you order if you were concerned about hypergonadotropic hypogonadism?
Chromosomes
To look for Klinefelter in boys, Turner in girls
What are the goals of precocious puberty treatment?
Preserve adult height
Alleviate psychosocial concerns