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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old
# [6 `3 m8 l+ ?$ o/ G2 O5 F! c# eBoy Induced by Indirect Topical
5 a% Q! J4 y/ C8 j6 b( W# OExposure to Testosterone
+ ?2 a8 F# T1 T. y3 lSamar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2' L9 e; m% m3 ?- t% l& |
and Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1
2 M1 y5 m; ~3 }7 EClinical Pediatrics
) F( [; S5 s3 LVolume 46 Number 6
% a( P. v1 W. R7 T9 {6 NJuly 2007 540-543! s6 r; `" A1 d( [/ ~
© 2007 Sage Publications9 `, [1 o& q9 A: l" h, P' y% ?9 f
10.1177/0009922806296651
5 H8 M- z+ ?; v5 S4 X$ Uhttp://clp.sagepub.com3 h u$ g9 y- y* r" ~. z. Q
hosted at( `& g5 o$ H' t, @' o, y
http://online.sagepub.com
6 Z+ P( {+ j8 Q/ O7 E" x: rPrecocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,) M3 H G1 f5 P$ g5 ?4 S
is a significant concern for physicians. Central/ [) h- \) c( W+ d: k7 `. N
precocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated
$ \( a& f; J4 n) G) F' Qthrough the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has/ r& R" y& n% d& G* P+ V$ ~, g! `% u
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system9 b- l6 h7 R8 ^* x, i8 A9 B- s
lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested) P' B1 l: V6 z0 j/ h) p
by enlargement of the penis, development of pubic. F1 @7 [6 B1 J& }: {) @
hair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-
+ R7 l# u5 Z' N- ycles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
5 N- R l, K" g- P' \8 v8 K% creport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the
* V' e& [; w4 ~8 aenlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-
; U* n' Y7 G: @! y Y# W' kment without testicular enlargement, which was due
) A1 N/ {9 P( W: U. xto the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by+ l7 n& R) X8 N0 ?1 ]$ p
the father. The family initially concealed this infor-
6 S X7 ], i0 u$ Q: {mation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this
- B- m' k2 x; @9 G8 T+ L; hchild. Given the widespread and easy availability of/ t0 s# N9 @; u$ y1 m
testosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-
. L: G: c7 e, I/ Ybly more common than the rare case report in the9 r2 d* X2 V6 C# U0 t. {
literature.48 K; w& w; F. `0 n6 v
Patient Report
o: S5 b9 m9 c6 R- H2 wA 16-month-old white child was referred to the
: [" K$ g' R0 J1 O1 x/ @) D" A% i7 J* oendocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern& K( P. [$ S% b+ H
of early sexual development. His mother noticed
5 `, C( a& r: [5 W: h* C1 }& Zlight colored pubic hair development when he was; i8 D2 r6 o+ V# ~2 w1 C i. [
From the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of0 D: u! d/ f7 ~ A% M: p
South Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.' h& W) q+ h1 J" ~/ l! [6 x
Address correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,
9 \ c% k2 f1 BProfessor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of
% c1 I) b$ d) v8 V1 M' JMedicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;* t9 G& q% ?5 \( `: G/ \
e-mail: [email protected].
$ N" Y$ o. r# u+ P* Fabout 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became }- L0 ^( W1 U* ]1 k# a( J
darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-. V5 I: G( w% T) o; r
ment of his penis and frequent erections. The child
! [ }% y5 I( `: ?was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
1 r9 D- W) ?- p7 Da birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of
( M. U( Z% O0 D* ~3 m20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year! e* n. U; J1 R% l
of life and was still receiving breast milk along with) }* h Q8 I2 v2 w5 m) R% ?
solid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
& `1 L" h0 q$ \3 M7 f8 o1 vand his psychosocial and psychomotor development$ B" B# F& ~, f$ c4 v
was age appropriate.
' p: J# x6 P3 QThe family history was remarkable for the father,
* C- U: Y$ D3 _, S% `! q$ q m9 Q ^4 nwho was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,
+ @* ?' ~; f. i8 ?) B4 Qwhich was treated with thyroxine. The father’s7 C h5 {9 ]4 X. J2 q. j7 K
height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat* U# K+ {6 i$ r) N( H! c( h
early puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.
( r/ a- b4 t. A' ?The father denied taking any other medication. The6 W! o, ^* M$ a5 @2 R
child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche! U* f6 {/ q2 J, r h! g$ d* e
was at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet2 |0 Q$ N& u, j3 O4 q
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-, a: Z2 D. X) y5 {) t# Q$ g$ w( O
cocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-
5 @) L8 b1 r; ~1 m. _+ ntives. There were no siblings.3 E5 b, ]' a' V
Physical Examination
* F2 {( T& O' {* ?$ A# z8 K! |3 @The physical examination revealed a very active,4 S* Q! M* U Y. G, r- e. y) W
playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented/ j+ V: i6 t1 }* l' S0 V, x$ r
a blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
% h* t( k# ]" p6 R9 e& |4 ]/ |8 X90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg7 t# ^) V, ~' [% _6 l: C" N( v
(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth. T) v9 ] ]! i, g) `$ e- C: Z
velocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of$ S6 u* ]9 [" Q
the neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.8 _& Z$ T0 V- G: Z; @
The genitourinary examination was remarkable for
, {# U5 H9 _/ L5 y0 ?2 u8 Yenlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of
$ S5 f% X" b* k1 P% o. d$ T6 a8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well/ Q) W8 P$ B6 i
developed. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around8 [; S' \: |0 X
540
/ a1 ?' K% w7 ~" F0 Tat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
! q8 J' b" I: S4 K. I; mthe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The
6 V, D0 N( m3 }, vtesticular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each./ U' P4 ^5 o6 |" w7 B/ l
The skin was moist and smooth and somewhat. z$ l# l. E% v, K" F# H' _
oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
- u: x' l8 u1 g$ u u# z" uabnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.7 p4 n7 u2 f d, |3 e
Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+
$ L8 V9 U2 R" Z- j6 d+ P/ z; E) Hbilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion
) t$ C9 r6 m# S, r Y# xof papilledema.
+ u' Q- n/ ^# P) h jLaboratory Evaluation
3 L& B: k- s4 L w8 L4 f4 [The bone age was consistent with 28 months by8 ?. g5 M* p8 r
using the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono- M5 m8 U- @" {9 B
logic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal* ]- n) {8 U5 q) s* A! J O' G; Y
karyotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test
/ z8 H6 I# I" V2 n' ?showed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-) E- P- K: t% k& I" c4 Q
lating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).0 a) z* @+ o# g
The concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood
`: M7 R, ]/ O! @1 J3 Jurea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
" T5 X7 V3 j# }7 [within normal range for his age. The concentration( ?2 Q( B4 o* C& w# Z1 o; k9 |% P7 y
of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL
) Y' ]- x: l/ S& y7 h3 Q* ?) d; k' v$ u; D(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20
' V/ {* e$ R% p3 H! Rng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-6 k+ g/ s' {! @1 L
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),6 H2 e& y9 D# ]0 \
desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
$ C$ d" o) H" Q8 u9 r7 c49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)
: [8 G) l% y$ P$ q/ Nwas 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-0 f- O* ?' w8 O, C) u. R# [* i
tisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total
# `/ R5 X+ d# G; g( j; @testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),0 F7 ^. c: r s; q2 m5 [: ?
and β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than
: W2 t& ]2 T% z& n) M- L0 W5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular& N g4 F' o" w- s Z7 ^4 i" f0 x
stimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone" ?) t' c: K8 H% U
concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL
! a2 I! v6 w g4 ?(prepubertal).
1 d$ c U3 c- ]- J- P; q4 A6 ^! X* \: Q7 eThe parents were notified about the laboratory
+ v" h7 `# o% _. bresults and were informed that all of the tests were
; M: L- \, E* ]1 \' K- E1 Vnormal except the testosterone level was high. The
1 |- ~: Z \, Sfollow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to9 U8 y! d1 y( H+ ?
obtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-2 B e' ~/ n* a+ V
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.4 P5 W6 A: e( g) X' T" O B
Physical examination at this time revealed that the
+ I8 ?$ B' p! |1 g; P% c( ^; jchild had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained1 n( ` ^1 i* Q( v- v1 p
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained m3 S k. T. R$ F3 D
unchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-2 t' J- f$ P8 C; O8 q
pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at( o; V! O1 f3 h1 V
the base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2/ h$ q7 |7 Q( v4 w3 [, T& V9 Z
mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.
( i. L1 F$ l7 }1 l$ }) U5 oThe mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-% u+ j4 c2 t5 M
ing frequent erections.
+ K1 G; f2 M) Z6 xBoth parents were again questioned about use of
+ {/ K U- e: @7 _7 X2 |; n. A- x( Uany ointment/creams that they may have applied to
. Y! {# ]$ G: J/ h/ G9 t6 X, x! @, rthe child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
7 G9 L. a& ~, m' C* ]1 Q; s8 RTopical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541( M N2 m9 H3 [7 N
use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-9 D8 B/ _7 S1 {1 @
ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for9 {+ o+ H. L* s) {9 g
a year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed; E' m, k3 f5 s- h$ ^. ^8 G
to disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-
& \. ` i! P0 a8 m# Fscribed by his family physician for decreased libido
) G; E7 V) ^; Q% ?& psecondary to depression.5 j2 j+ k) a5 P. E# i* T
The child slept in the same bed with parents.
6 e' w9 E/ u; W0 O1 ?6 u3 N# nThe father would hug the baby and hold him on his: |7 V, \/ q3 Z) r
chest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-5 _% m3 D) X, }# R6 u0 d
nificant bare skin contact between baby and father.. L. d* E: n% x6 H) Z L% W
The father also admitted that after the phone call,0 O1 p8 s" j# c: [6 D% m1 f% G
when he learned the testosterone level in the baby4 Q: Q+ j: N; p) J4 f9 D
was high, he then read the product information
8 [9 F6 F- w4 h/ hpacket and concluded that it was most likely the rea-
" ~- b5 i) m4 K3 a7 C6 F7 o: wson for the child’s virilization. At that time, they
6 T T& v. K3 P, ?1 E9 cdecided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
! V0 P$ E( [- X, d5 b: J5 Afather was not hugging him with bare skin and had
+ O. ?0 `& s! t$ \8 o" bbeen using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone7 ^4 u x k3 E( x) K q9 w
test was ordered, but the family did not go to the
# `0 y- R5 y! {1 |- q$ v/ Qlaboratory to obtain the test.. w+ \) f) H: L) }
Discussion
9 O/ K7 W# c+ i) h% M! _' G5 ^Precocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary ` `+ h4 p& @2 b+ |" ^3 m
sexual development before 9 years of age.1,4
1 J" N% e. K! a, v4 m5 |Precocious puberty is termed as central (true) when
( I1 w" w$ A& H/ a w2 R7 [it is caused by the premature activation of hypo-) ]7 j" Z( X3 `6 F
thalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
/ v% h0 p; b4 G; {0 Jmon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP
1 [2 F! U8 @. ~* s4 q" p3 d# \may have a central nervous system lesion that is( g& R2 J; l: J' \ ?
responsible for the early activation of the hypothal-5 n5 C$ \- k( X) l3 B6 g2 j
amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-
" w; f. Z* E2 M R: A* ^) \% psis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in2 w, b [' A2 g1 Z" Q) i6 x
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-
W W6 ]9 B2 g% g$ kization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-
4 H3 i, I' U0 i* ]4 Z7 L3 Orical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by
) G: T, ~" Y8 l- K: y+ Qgonadotropins.1,3' @7 W) U; e0 i& s* n
Gonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-$ `0 D$ c; X: T4 s: H0 s$ X
cious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate" n0 A- T6 P& X' U7 C U
androgenic stimulation from either endogenous or( \; ^9 o% }- }0 |( _0 x5 l# H
exogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-3 X3 t+ y; G( N! M4 U2 D% q8 X
ulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing! X f. y" J) L
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive0 |! V& r2 v% m0 U f' ^4 F
adrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
1 I F4 R- N" z! y4 o d' Hpuberty in boys.3,4+ H2 t5 ~6 s. ^- b
The most common form of congenital adrenal- A0 i6 e4 v* p5 Q7 Q) `
hyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.
/ X) S+ x) }7 I1 N, S4 EThe 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in0 G7 a8 y# f) y1 f1 Y/ u
excessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,
7 x, I7 `2 K: x7 I" [, y7 Pan adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
2 Q; n% }) S9 z: C0 cexcess.1,3( Y" _7 H( P$ S3 M' p. [6 x; a) c
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
) Y1 X9 |; z3 g+ p( B% L' H542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
1 _5 O+ n6 B5 ^- n) BA unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-
* o% o4 z6 w" y$ |) I6 Qindependent precocious puberty, which is also known
# q2 U+ Z) i3 Q9 n3 gas testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a- I5 X: c# p% h2 e0 f+ G1 ]1 R
very young age. The physical findings in these boys
# e+ m V$ Q$ }, ?with this disorder are full pubertal development,
1 t- V% q6 Y" E* Y- w7 ?3 ^including bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys2 z: e0 K' o+ {+ N8 p) ^7 [
with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder/ m5 V+ Z2 U" \/ A! B, x! Q! M' ?8 `* i
are suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show
& ^4 z2 Y) ^9 l% I, `* ?# W" fpubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-4 G# t: y" S2 c6 ]( [
releasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked% _1 K, h7 k& D I1 |5 B, i _
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only
/ N$ ]! G z: W* @/ k, L8 a& d! _males; therefore, other male members of the family
4 H4 J# v9 i# z' X8 v9 dmay have similar precocious puberty.3* K& r3 x6 L4 D/ L2 H7 Q: O, f
In our patient, physical examination was incon-
9 R- z$ G! ?4 c/ S' lsistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-; [( Q7 n5 j' @% g
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis" [" I" O( H+ B: j( E
was in the differential diagnosis because his father3 [ y- v; E. R1 ^+ ]
started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,
! K& C, `$ i% |2 m, Y. V( g2 Rtesticular enlargement is not that evident in the3 z6 I5 F7 F- r! d# Y, {, D, L
beginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-
- A+ D% X5 q4 P- V2 Native initial history of androgen exposure, our
+ v% J h/ M. y0 Sbiggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,
4 U5 |# u5 D1 H2 Q" v7 W, a3 |0 heither 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
) F$ w& _# Y: B; x0 edeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-! G5 W6 H7 m0 t# o, L
ing the normal level of adrenal steroids.. w; f3 d( N4 w. g, z
The diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly
: e6 s4 O( F1 ]0 z) m ususpected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because' N5 M+ X7 X- w- C0 N8 v. U. e% @
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-8 \2 D% K$ `; C! ~5 m
pearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and
2 x, I! j9 t+ @. y$ P5 G% U! r2 Odecreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-# Z2 W2 o# v6 M' g1 z& [
terone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was
3 q1 M0 s4 ~. u- X9 e9 Vusing it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’
5 e, F! {" n- }# o) R; j- ?; MDesk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or
" ^) v, w4 `5 k0 A9 P" H+ o4 Y, Bcream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
# E) R \3 w0 R tunprotected females through direct skin exposure.0 G- _" h2 P9 S2 D% M
Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the+ ?2 \9 X) [8 d6 ]- O3 C
baseline value in those females who were exposed to
" L9 g: N* h7 Reven 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male0 u, P. `! _' z6 X. A) ]
partners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-( i) R' j3 A* f( f8 p! W9 F
tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented., D/ Q. E9 }6 h' t ]1 I! @0 e
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,9 M7 \8 G' i) J. K T; \
which was clearly high. Some studies suggest that
?- R6 M; X! d/ zdermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-% B$ Y3 F# {0 `$ G- J: j; S
terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more- C& E0 Q$ A0 g% e4 L
active in young children exposed to testosterone8 O- f. y2 G0 x7 Q% Q
exogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-
0 Q/ K; T+ a0 Kdrotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to
6 F6 E" w' n, Y3 Yvirilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
/ l' Z, d( u" K; Ochildren results in an increase in growth velocity and
: Z# N. W( Q) J$ i. Eadvanced bone age, as seen in our patient.* |/ P6 T! v5 O1 h; z& s
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during. ~. H; }5 ?+ j5 B: e
early childhood on pubertal development and final) Z/ z& g- D4 n2 ~$ r
adult height are not fully known and always remain1 ] N" f+ u& p8 u' H6 a: n
a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-
, ]) G5 L/ b9 L% I7 O7 X+ wterone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some; Q6 w3 G* N, p/ u7 Q0 B
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after
2 N' h: _" k d* _! ~: L. d9 Ncessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation
2 q# W5 d: L- B0 I! F! e Edecelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,9; h6 W2 U8 L; M8 f$ i
There are conflicting reports and controversy/ {0 H# C8 e3 y/ w
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult p; {( K7 [9 E, O" d7 J1 Y+ d
penile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal
" {1 H9 _2 O$ k& k0 _adult penile length, apparently because of downreg-5 M1 A) H2 @" M8 c
ulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,
4 ?" i' T2 V& V3 {- l+ MSutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between0 w- W4 Y1 q2 D/ b
childhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult/ Q" B- }( F6 H" I" C/ {
penile length in clinical studies.
3 d' _' t: q) V5 ?3 c& E4 [Nonetheless, we do not believe our patient is" A* M6 @- o! a- J+ q) A, w
going to experience any of the untoward effects from$ ~( U! |- ?9 G$ x8 T& G
testosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because L& Z6 p. e! X* S/ P. Z/ H, A {* }
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.7 ?! k5 R9 O! l3 v& O
Although the bone age was advanced at the time of) {- h# n( B1 C0 x
diagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at
) H' C; i2 B) u$ N. Q* Bthe follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult4 O) J& |+ o5 ]/ L% r* n
height will not be affected.4 V# c3 X8 Z. F# B8 K
Although rarely reported, the widespread avail-' r3 x* _& A+ _3 @8 V: J% v# I
ability of androgen products in our society may4 J2 p) |$ ~% m- r4 ?
indeed cause more virilization in male or female3 @1 q. i, H9 F, c( O
children than one would realize. Exposure to andro-" z* _- } i. Q1 O/ ^7 T
gen products must be considered and specific ques-, u% d$ W. X/ q* ~+ U. q$ _9 Z# U8 E& C
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or# l% K& N- U% k9 ~% v, O
gel should be asked of the family members during* B( S( E0 n0 }/ p. E
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-# G9 l+ _9 X$ s: f/ L
ilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-; \/ y0 V( I& d, g: g$ T
nosis can be established by just a few tests and by
B- w+ l3 l/ ^9 m' ?4 S# fappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a
- _7 G" f1 f) l- Y! khistory, or failure to ask the specific questions, may
' q1 D; B4 {4 @+ y' q2 c+ }result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive" _: g. Y( J: r: b3 O* M0 h
investigation. The primary care physician should be
` {* V; k' K2 p7 v& f2 maware of this fact, because most of these children
- P: V# y' Z! y' ]- g; Jmay initially present in their practice. The Physicians’ t6 W4 n( f$ x8 g& F) j: j
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a8 B7 J% \5 M% f
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or
9 j3 w, D( r+ n4 R2 O$ b, jfemale child who might come in contact with some-
E$ U+ m( }$ {1 o- ^one using any of these products.- ]& j4 F- C J y2 D2 V+ W
References0 ~0 i7 c' e+ ]; v
1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation
6 C8 X- C: @0 j- u; p+ h; S# kand puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric
! I: ~( o+ z& ]% r. Y X% fEndocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;3 F. P( k- b' [/ |; c1 x
2002: 565-628.- X+ ?) ^% R& [* `, q
2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious
8 t# ^9 r# x' R; q+ Tpuberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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