Precocious puberty is when the body changes that normally occur during puberty happen earlier than normal. Puberty is the time in which sexual and physical characteristics mature.
Alternative Names:
Pubertas praecox
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
The exact age a child enters puberty depends on a number of different things, such as a person's genes, nutrition, and gender. The main causes of precocious puberty are structural problems in the brain and tumors that release hormones.
Symptoms:
In girls, precocious puberty is when any of the following develop age 8:
Breasts
Armpit or pubic hair
Mature outer genitals
First period (menstruation)
Some evidence suggests that it may be normal for these changes to occur as early as age 7 in Caucasian girls and age 6 in African-American girls.
In boys, precocious puberty is when any of the following develop before age 9:
Enlarged testes and penis
Armpit or pubic hair
Facial hair, often first on the upper lip
Signs and tests:
Blood hormone levels, computerized brain scans, and abdominal scans are often used to diagnose the problem.
Review Date: 8/15/2007
Reviewed By: Rachel A. Lewis, MD, FAAP, Columbia University Pediatric Faculty Practice, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Adolescent Gynecology, General Pediatrics
