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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old' c' e; @/ u6 S- O1 L
Boy Induced by Indirect Topical/ a# f2 q5 q8 U" i& j
Exposure to Testosterone2 f: F: R t# L {
Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2
+ G! `: ^$ g. L0 f8 xand Kenneth R. Rettig, MD13 L/ m3 t, \1 K! u9 A
Clinical Pediatrics9 _2 i5 _: d% U
Volume 46 Number 68 m% c$ J, N. H. C, M
July 2007 540-543
# [2 t2 [( S$ Q. ]© 2007 Sage Publications
# v; [" m# f5 ~0 ~7 {10.1177/0009922806296651
. _+ ] p( F: E/ ?, J# ahttp://clp.sagepub.com6 j! C" `# h8 P* f, |( I
hosted at
8 R p- R" E! `7 ?) I/ Xhttp://online.sagepub.com g9 C, K! i, ]
Precocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,
7 j* v$ F# c" P, f2 d! p" R% G7 vis a significant concern for physicians. Central& a$ i2 y) k) `* B, W
precocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated& R: m. b% f1 J
through the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has: x0 L9 e# A' u+ }
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system
) v$ I8 ^: Y- Q% N7 ^; t) Flesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested
: o. R% `+ L) F3 Q0 mby enlargement of the penis, development of pubic
& S! \- z2 `6 Z1 _& hhair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-. m: L- E$ u1 T9 L3 ^' W& {: v1 F
cles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
, ]9 j& A8 p# I& s- Y% |% \0 r' jreport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the$ T k8 h! d v" E8 D5 j' P( u2 J/ P2 b
enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-# B) V- X, G" G. W9 J* y* _2 M: c* p8 ^
ment without testicular enlargement, which was due
2 l) ]$ r. z$ u& B7 `to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
* K/ a8 Z. Z2 K* @/ sthe father. The family initially concealed this infor-
- b7 G; g' a1 e( T! m( o6 emation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this
' b. o6 s1 Q, V: n4 Fchild. Given the widespread and easy availability of
% z3 `( i+ ?4 \7 _testosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-
2 r7 R3 \7 c% I% n. P* q( sbly more common than the rare case report in the j! h( _0 i; f* {% A
literature.4$ }+ k6 f }6 ?* D4 Y
Patient Report
1 Y4 i A4 ] I- BA 16-month-old white child was referred to the- n) t' p: Y6 G" d4 }2 {( q @
endocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern7 ]! _% ]5 k4 Z. z
of early sexual development. His mother noticed
9 S6 T6 r& Y- q1 I. m6 ]light colored pubic hair development when he was: [/ @% ]( C5 O& K2 g! B F
From the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of
4 k9 k# z' H$ _, dSouth Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.
% t. r- ]; G1 B7 c. Z( E- MAddress correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE," B: V1 W6 y' q
Professor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of: @8 o9 n' u* z( a! C) t7 Z8 K, W
Medicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;
- c$ }: p( y) te-mail: [email protected].% t1 B+ m, b. n C1 p; \3 }
about 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became' e' x! m- b- ^4 F* s
darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-
B( Y n1 Z' n2 g, d. Qment of his penis and frequent erections. The child
7 \& d+ b: e; P! Q+ kwas the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
8 W5 q; s2 X' v/ v0 Z# o- |a birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of8 W' D3 i) a% L) Y8 ]1 _ _3 E9 ?
20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year4 o- s- K# G4 u* ^2 k
of life and was still receiving breast milk along with' I1 D: F w% _/ n( `: a
solid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
3 d1 z; Q- E) P5 xand his psychosocial and psychomotor development' I2 e/ i8 m: ~% R/ ?# ~
was age appropriate.
t' t9 N/ o4 t- F+ qThe family history was remarkable for the father,2 w; L0 E& L% G. Y) f; J! K
who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,
' K: W5 w" v: S. S. W- v6 Hwhich was treated with thyroxine. The father’s8 s* F+ P7 N& i$ b; ]) k1 c v& {
height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
5 Y) ~# s% `6 [3 _early puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.$ H5 Q$ ]: F1 Y4 ?/ I
The father denied taking any other medication. The
# c3 g: T. T: m: rchild’s mother was in good health. Her menarche
' y) S3 K; Z2 e1 hwas at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet5 w- T* E! U; f$ K1 | k. {% V
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre- t p/ k3 C6 |" a# q# C1 X" T
cocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-) w" [2 C7 \9 h
tives. There were no siblings.6 j7 a0 q/ e/ q0 d
Physical Examination4 N: K; L/ }& l+ C0 ^' d& l
The physical examination revealed a very active,; i; I! ^0 Z8 X- ~9 l
playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented
! k6 H& f6 _0 e0 _. F: B5 ja blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
! b i$ D" E8 }" U5 W90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg5 ~3 E* @4 q; C( b# }) R B. Q
(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth
$ W1 I! D" E, P9 nvelocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of
! E/ w8 G% Z% T! H" ithe neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.
& ^( E7 N* ?5 Q$ PThe genitourinary examination was remarkable for
9 {% B$ Q& H9 n. @enlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of) x" }) E9 ]( n7 K
8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well
0 j* J: m1 }: v1 y+ O/ gdeveloped. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around3 S- M; ^ e8 \8 ?) b) s
540- @& d$ w3 M7 \6 @
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from2 I& i$ S6 P1 g( a" }0 Z# S6 y
the base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The
4 ?5 X1 z& u7 F7 K$ I* ?. L2 K- Ttesticular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.
, G) Y6 p( Y1 d! U& |The skin was moist and smooth and somewhat9 Q: Y) E+ M) M6 o
oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
. [) N7 H' ?: p9 T# S% Habnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.5 y* y, B9 `6 [9 ~. ^4 t6 t
Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+$ w$ [4 U7 B& b3 V$ g1 L/ E, s" G
bilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion6 a, l. I& Q4 R/ o' I% i
of papilledema.
# x) }$ ^' J( V7 s: Q# MLaboratory Evaluation
9 V5 ]3 S, d; k# h+ z" BThe bone age was consistent with 28 months by$ T% T6 a3 S7 I8 B/ z8 A
using the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-/ t) c& ^! u S
logic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal
2 x6 m2 K. u' a L& e0 V- ~# zkaryotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test4 z" z3 `7 c/ d1 K9 E
showed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-" n% ^! ?5 W0 L/ Y
lating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).
& ~- J$ y9 e B' U+ a; ?# e; nThe concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood
1 D4 z6 M; c, @urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were9 \8 A9 V1 G/ Z0 L! ^( H! d5 |
within normal range for his age. The concentration7 P6 t4 f' {# h, m8 k/ u
of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL
; W. L4 R( W9 S" p" @(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20. D& M- O/ k9 b. c3 u# C' r* o9 ~" k
ng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-- Z0 {) k" R3 c1 _
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),0 }' |: O0 G5 R" t) O
desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
1 z# |9 w$ h- [9 F7 Y49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)
0 b- L/ S3 o1 ^ _7 T, M9 Kwas 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-
, }+ @& b, N4 f N! P! Utisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total1 m# _) y3 a- T- q8 L% a
testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),
. F8 r2 l$ n$ [2 K; Q/ ~* V1 e! Tand β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than5 f( f) S8 y/ C, H$ a$ L- m
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular
, n' |/ G- K b6 a& {( a3 Vstimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone$ \ g4 d1 Y$ Z' Q* [6 M2 k7 ~3 b3 m
concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL
7 ]# Z+ x+ Y8 h: i& u$ G" d9 B(prepubertal)." @5 u4 S; z( J6 g0 q i+ ~& C
The parents were notified about the laboratory
5 e- S! S- y7 I4 `results and were informed that all of the tests were/ N9 _: K% M+ h2 z
normal except the testosterone level was high. The
! b J3 j# U, W1 p) w. N7 Sfollow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to, J. v* `% U7 K5 n& S- n' M
obtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-9 V z: @+ M7 t1 V$ h3 d
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.
( b/ B% R( h. G6 W) ^' \Physical examination at this time revealed that the% v0 c+ h. l d0 w3 ~" D
child had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained% {% P0 r# D6 r; a" d1 l( j
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained2 ^, r2 G7 p( F& ^- J
unchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-* ?% J* J2 I& ^4 I( P9 F
pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at
" |7 X/ Q; X7 B! r! q4 Z- ?& ~2 Vthe base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2/ x c. a3 X6 |( D# c2 G! R. j
mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.+ B' e! t* D' m f
The mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-% s& R! P7 A' K+ ^# ?* F
ing frequent erections.
+ S7 V2 Q' P% S7 q K FBoth parents were again questioned about use of. L! \1 g6 R9 g8 \8 }; y0 j
any ointment/creams that they may have applied to
" d6 v0 r* H8 E8 J2 U6 x& Bthe child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
7 V1 t4 s* k) S$ E1 ?. n3 d+ L/ qTopical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541" _* S! Z% V4 V, k
use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-1 a; N, T" r# r3 ~# \8 b; E' `
ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for
" { R0 x+ n. R, @0 m5 y& d) fa year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed
2 J ?& x* \* X6 n; zto disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-
" s* j8 l0 K# [3 ~% j( E; p0 mscribed by his family physician for decreased libido9 p% B/ H( e( Z' P( J7 a5 ^
secondary to depression.! `3 I8 ]" `) F) m$ Z1 k
The child slept in the same bed with parents.; }$ i* e5 Q5 P f
The father would hug the baby and hold him on his8 g O* E3 }: y) e8 d
chest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-6 n- }: p+ p4 Z9 S, }- \
nificant bare skin contact between baby and father.
( `# d+ @, R0 W" X" wThe father also admitted that after the phone call,
8 P2 O; j" r" m. n& O$ e0 uwhen he learned the testosterone level in the baby
# }$ m5 t# X5 Ewas high, he then read the product information2 z, ~; ^+ q* G( X
packet and concluded that it was most likely the rea-
( {, [' z1 G! l% F s9 e8 e3 json for the child’s virilization. At that time, they I# \2 o7 z7 {- B
decided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
+ q; g: T% | h, b( `3 ^father was not hugging him with bare skin and had
- R0 v' I. c; a' C" w1 Wbeen using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone
! ^1 v2 x* H6 l2 g' mtest was ordered, but the family did not go to the
0 @8 ~, \9 N- l& w/ Plaboratory to obtain the test.; w1 c# J: R7 v! f$ P
Discussion
6 F' w$ A7 G# L0 a& X, _* aPrecocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary# m& ^5 N& E8 h H1 G$ e8 d. i
sexual development before 9 years of age.1,4
. C0 w3 p9 K C( ?0 e4 @$ [+ HPrecocious puberty is termed as central (true) when2 h# ]4 w' ^9 a4 g
it is caused by the premature activation of hypo-2 c5 S$ A. t" B8 \0 I& x+ V
thalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
; T3 Y* R+ N tmon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP. u- v& ^5 D. _; K) H( x" t
may have a central nervous system lesion that is
7 _% P& A3 g- \* L+ d* E9 rresponsible for the early activation of the hypothal-1 e4 s) I8 r% N3 F
amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-
: S5 J9 A! k7 L5 Msis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in( g* O+ M) X4 S" O9 ? G' h
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-! W: W$ v# h4 V0 m5 U3 q8 K! V
ization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-
. b2 ~% S; e& F- i: `6 s& krical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by6 p- J, V+ M% U4 K
gonadotropins.1,3$ H& W* F9 @6 h! M4 ~
Gonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-6 M+ j, |3 d- ?0 h' m2 t, P6 x
cious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate& S1 C' X( K8 J8 f% z
androgenic stimulation from either endogenous or
% I4 q6 r* N, V" v3 Lexogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-; l* Q0 X5 z8 u/ e# ]$ Q
ulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing7 q* X% n0 Y4 P- p+ a) _
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive3 m4 C V8 U- {! s
adrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
2 h' c" c* \9 H) b' ?7 v9 V/ L/ gpuberty in boys.3,4% [! f# T# e7 T/ Y2 r+ J5 |6 ^& O
The most common form of congenital adrenal1 i- }/ e% a5 X+ \ ~
hyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.
0 J& S: s. p! a. I- e& _The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in% r2 j. t# i# o
excessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,, e/ ]8 d. v1 o3 `# D8 a. E7 _
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
$ a/ B# v( y3 w" ?- v# Eexcess.1,32 l9 j/ T" f3 q( e5 V$ b; m; e6 P4 w
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
. M- h( V( E. [9 [9 L$ Q" ^6 o; u542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 20079 A* _. ~- O2 D0 E: N" N
A unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-
! S2 \2 ^; W7 Gindependent precocious puberty, which is also known
5 U( u* F' j# R0 F' V& d2 ias testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a7 ]" a" t" Q4 s+ `
very young age. The physical findings in these boys
3 G6 w y# t7 T6 L# K6 e/ r% |with this disorder are full pubertal development,+ }4 w8 L- P, r4 j
including bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys+ \. q9 ?2 ^' s# r' z5 ?! P% p
with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder
( a7 e0 e2 r6 ?* G8 i4 gare suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show" @1 y a" G7 s3 r9 M) u
pubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-
% Y# n. O1 O E2 U) Wreleasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked. | m0 x) M0 d3 B- L$ B* v/ h4 r
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only
+ E; G, t0 v) d$ K6 Cmales; therefore, other male members of the family
7 y' c9 s5 E4 ?7 T5 m' z$ zmay have similar precocious puberty.3) R) y3 ]3 b `: k# L
In our patient, physical examination was incon-0 [& O, b( }1 B7 K+ x4 t/ p
sistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-
# P+ s8 t" s8 s* ?: P( Y0 T$ Q3 tcles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis6 x- ^, v2 m6 K) h/ I1 \+ Q8 [
was in the differential diagnosis because his father u* L9 y4 \( s q9 }6 D+ |4 C
started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,0 u* c% L; @8 r- C' n! y
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the8 L2 J' N; p7 z1 w3 Y& D
beginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-
5 d- n3 ?' w( P' Y" Gative initial history of androgen exposure, our C' U8 X& `+ N4 \3 {" e
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,
~1 x* J9 e" M0 Ieither 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
; H5 H# a0 l/ p0 |' `5 Gdeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-0 m4 c5 s$ Q% a2 _! T% _
ing the normal level of adrenal steroids.8 g( e s/ N$ M. f; L* P$ \
The diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly8 e8 Y8 k% s7 S' _
suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because& o$ d# X: z H( l( \1 R/ m! S5 J
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-1 H2 m0 G% m4 R' U1 v4 w
pearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and
9 c& T: ~, p5 T( m" I: ^9 `decreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
8 C7 D# R5 l2 n5 L4 h5 o) ?+ W8 Y0 ^* Gterone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was
1 ]. r$ V8 V3 U; r1 husing it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’
, }2 y! \! T* c* ^: wDesk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or; n$ k1 `; t! T; ]2 U/ B
cream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
6 ?% `0 m: }( ]& I) {unprotected females through direct skin exposure.+ L6 ^3 n* x- ?/ n2 k
Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the5 r6 [, \! Q3 }0 \+ l4 C- Z
baseline value in those females who were exposed to
& J7 G7 |4 _' B: o( _, E, O9 Reven 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male! B! `1 d3 ]8 i
partners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-
5 n* ?* W, \9 O1 Z2 m- |# L) _tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.# B4 s# P- ~% |4 c& h8 f
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,
$ s- Q: z6 q9 V& L# C: twhich was clearly high. Some studies suggest that. M! J- g! z/ L, u0 }. t
dermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-
8 ^, s1 \& g; @! ^/ k& Aterone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more9 h6 v8 n# f0 N3 L( O) D% w, h
active in young children exposed to testosterone
0 A: m2 Z, b% qexogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-9 t5 e9 N) m* x4 L m! L- b, f
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to2 U% a* B0 l% n, y
virilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
& M% I$ ]3 o* H" F. ychildren results in an increase in growth velocity and2 ^6 l, j% V! J' f: _+ D( _
advanced bone age, as seen in our patient./ B" S$ W: p, }/ E. i
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during
1 F" S6 U X) G/ T5 y$ ]early childhood on pubertal development and final
r* N# N$ ?% `2 P* v' I. ladult height are not fully known and always remain
: k3 j v9 m8 F9 H# Fa concern. Children treated with short-term testos-8 w# t9 V! A; M& Z
terone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some! v5 N0 f. F* j, |( W5 q
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after
( c6 ?9 L9 i8 g9 lcessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation
( j5 K6 Z, ]" f+ l+ ?; j+ _decelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,90 a( d1 N) h T5 h
There are conflicting reports and controversy8 W3 ^" v" T/ e/ w" R1 x+ y' }2 r
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult
4 H3 j' ?3 X" U& `7 V4 Mpenile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal
`( t. g1 J0 f7 B6 E+ H* madult penile length, apparently because of downreg-, J! s( ]3 U4 @. ], v. P
ulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,9 ^+ l$ N/ T7 J8 H; Y1 H Q/ _
Sutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between
6 n5 b! D3 J" Xchildhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult
8 f5 x+ G: V% o1 Ypenile length in clinical studies.
6 ?9 r$ Q8 a! |, S4 fNonetheless, we do not believe our patient is8 k s# f/ h! a9 M( [/ W+ c
going to experience any of the untoward effects from
# |, P2 ~8 P% P/ n7 itestosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because1 E5 @- r& y w3 S/ D1 u: z1 U
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.
% f y0 h1 y' Q9 m, ?" t' I* Q2 qAlthough the bone age was advanced at the time of
- U5 M1 B4 e3 y6 `; E6 e0 I2 y2 a' idiagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at$ j! z- `* V Z/ a6 ?; t( U5 b3 n4 M
the follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult' K- I, X4 j; Z1 A, m% C1 o
height will not be affected.
! ~! ?* V5 A& m7 `3 gAlthough rarely reported, the widespread avail-8 T5 U6 c3 A$ @- C' g t, S" T
ability of androgen products in our society may
& s$ ]8 J2 q7 S+ Sindeed cause more virilization in male or female
0 U3 X# P* I. t3 B& O# f0 ychildren than one would realize. Exposure to andro-0 ~7 M0 ?3 O" c! w/ p/ p& U
gen products must be considered and specific ques-1 |* Y5 l+ ^( r" L* p' J' Q- N# d. u
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or
8 W! E5 {# Q" kgel should be asked of the family members during' X" G1 `# Q! \. U" M* O" x1 B# m' |
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-6 V% @) r$ f# d2 q+ J9 G
ilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-
. ?* Z2 a+ ]" h5 c, n9 ~nosis can be established by just a few tests and by
& D# ~2 t7 d2 N* V3 S" Y8 Aappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a
8 S2 b( L+ M/ h3 ?5 l9 x- x6 thistory, or failure to ask the specific questions, may8 }; v4 a# U" q
result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive; z& M G# }: G
investigation. The primary care physician should be
+ H# V: ]) g8 L' f- v* K1 d+ i4 F2 j8 Qaware of this fact, because most of these children
! Q3 j( `; e5 E( z& ^8 z; Ymay initially present in their practice. The Physicians’7 l d$ r: v5 }: r. N
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a
5 i+ }4 r6 K2 _% B# ]: }3 M% j1 ywarning about the virilizing effect on a male or
% _1 |! N F; D$ O0 g8 Efemale child who might come in contact with some-
; W1 A: O& T2 V$ [5 I& _6 k& hone using any of these products.# d% L- c( P T
References
; y0 T- |! }5 h* t1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation
0 ?! Y7 A9 A7 u( i5 Hand puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric
9 Q$ \; c5 h0 z# ^ a- O6 JEndocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;
6 |5 d! w+ x8 q2002: 565-628.8 ]: \# }9 A4 j' C# _5 t+ ]
2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious
# p! n6 f! v# Zpuberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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