Precocious Puberty in Boys: A Study Based on Five Years of Data from a Single Center in Northern China

J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2021 Nov 25;13(4):418-425. doi: 10.4274/jcrpe.galenos.2021.2021.0033. Epub 2021 May 20.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the clinical features and etiology of precocious puberty (PP) in Chinese boys.

Methods: In this study, data from boys who were referred for evaluation of PP from 2015 to 2020 at a tertiary hospital in Northern China were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Eighty-two boys were diagnosed with PP from 2015 to 2020. Sixty-two patients (75.6%) were diagnosed with central PP (CPP), and twenty patients (24.4%) were diagnosed with peripheral PP (PPP). In the CPP group, forty-nine cases were classified as idiopathic CPP, and thirteen patients had pathogenic CPP. The top three causes of PPP were congenital adrenal hyperplasia, germ cell tumors and familial male-limited PP.

Conclusion: The etiology of PP in males is diverse. The majority of CPP cases in Chinese boys are idiopathic rather than organic.

Keywords: Male; precocious puberty; etiology.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • China / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Puberty, Precocious / diagnosis*
  • Puberty, Precocious / epidemiology*
  • Puberty, Precocious / etiology*
  • Retrospective Studies