- 註冊時間
- 2023-5-6
- 精華
- 在線時間
- 小時
- 米币
-
- 最後登錄
- 1970-1-1
|
發表於 2025-1-4 03:25:35
|
顯示全部樓層
Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old! Z3 x* B' Q. C- `+ T# _
Boy Induced by Indirect Topical
$ y0 K1 q) a5 v0 t# dExposure to Testosterone/ t- W+ h4 j* `2 |* A
Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2
8 P( F( ]5 E" Z% Wand Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1
+ }% e1 `2 v6 o4 wClinical Pediatrics/ b4 C: E" j5 Y5 z8 L, B
Volume 46 Number 6
/ S0 [" d: j i" ~& }: vJuly 2007 540-543
+ o1 P' @. d9 [& ^" y4 C© 2007 Sage Publications+ I. F9 |! h Z" `, u& F+ H
10.1177/0009922806296651 [3 { Z8 X% a
http://clp.sagepub.com, u) O& ?3 D3 m0 ~0 J; e: W
hosted at
u9 _0 g; ^# o% a: U0 `http://online.sagepub.com
8 \ T, T# W! |3 o e6 _Precocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,% c6 u' s$ y4 I, `; k/ q
is a significant concern for physicians. Central
: a+ k, n0 H( u( j* t4 qprecocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated
( u; R2 r; b, q5 R$ ]" R; Z: B) i$ f5 sthrough the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has
8 o$ x9 n% [6 j. w: Ka higher incidence of organic central nervous system
* I# B% @+ ~, Wlesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested. q, b' s2 I: f
by enlargement of the penis, development of pubic/ D8 q7 T% s4 F8 P& i, C
hair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-4 W* J* z5 s o7 _( U) m$ z5 p- I
cles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We, R5 U* W1 ?. u2 g0 p
report a 16-month-old boy who presented with the
1 o b) f4 [ g+ henlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-; d! z8 X; c8 C T( _/ |
ment without testicular enlargement, which was due* P. k+ Q+ Z5 t( o* }- V
to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by2 M L! s( L" |& l) @
the father. The family initially concealed this infor-7 W3 o+ l* w% @! W# ~: }5 X+ z
mation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this
+ V% S3 A4 K* achild. Given the widespread and easy availability of
+ I( N0 v, T c, R4 {testosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-
, W' }# _& m8 k: m4 p. wbly more common than the rare case report in the
1 k- Z1 ~/ D5 i' _2 z$ q) cliterature.4
8 l& I! _2 r- `Patient Report
~' ]* F4 k: h! HA 16-month-old white child was referred to the5 x% V7 U2 @$ t
endocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern
$ q% d$ J; \- U% X: y: Qof early sexual development. His mother noticed
, B4 s- M% \2 ]light colored pubic hair development when he was
) }/ N: j; M7 `4 v: A/ c8 Z) N: YFrom the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of
: R7 ]+ U, K5 d8 h7 N% J: CSouth Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.
0 {) d3 m. U3 O6 |. X) d6 `1 IAddress correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,5 d5 V1 ~" [! X6 h1 R6 J( Z
Professor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of
* u( ]' t8 C; A" q3 b# ]Medicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;$ @9 G* v6 H" s2 K5 @, d
e-mail: [email protected].2 w* q5 L$ R' R& L' c. t% u7 }
about 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became
; ?- O8 ^! m B! _darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-
+ c) Y! b- |$ S6 O5 Pment of his penis and frequent erections. The child2 T- o, i# i4 Q& w( a& c- w: u" w& ~
was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
2 r$ V- k& ]' W9 z! Y: o. Na birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of
& O$ T7 G' ~8 m' r7 ]$ n( ?9 D! Z20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year* O& j! W( e' |7 b8 T$ ~7 t
of life and was still receiving breast milk along with7 w# W! [- ~! G; _4 s7 q6 c" M3 e0 u2 m
solid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
8 `/ n. `0 ~- T% T. zand his psychosocial and psychomotor development
3 J, o& k$ E- ^7 ]0 E1 @0 C; f3 Qwas age appropriate.
% w% J6 c9 c4 ?The family history was remarkable for the father,
1 D; k5 J a4 g6 X; vwho was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,, G) k" _, r/ [: Z5 U6 Q
which was treated with thyroxine. The father’s
( T* L7 ^2 T* Y7 A1 h0 A; O( ]0 n6 ?height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
2 k& o7 _& y9 s- gearly puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.2 N% X. H% T7 y2 j f' z# P
The father denied taking any other medication. The
$ n W0 m% {3 n3 `child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche0 q x. M. S2 Q) a8 [- O# X+ i
was at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet) \+ q P. D7 ]
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-
" D5 Y [5 A+ Y, @# ecocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-! O3 T( T; k- X
tives. There were no siblings.
, H# J# a& K- `- c7 DPhysical Examination
" S8 i& G- `2 Q5 M9 f4 X8 fThe physical examination revealed a very active,- ^ U/ \+ \$ f8 J9 y
playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented5 C% p9 ~& r4 X
a blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was: s, }* E! p& V; R. F4 {4 Y
90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg w% @& @8 E" V7 y9 c2 W* r1 n) A
(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth# B3 M1 P% J! N0 H7 s
velocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of. [+ f0 X2 B: {$ w7 P. j8 w8 [7 P
the neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.4 I" [6 A) f8 f8 H
The genitourinary examination was remarkable for
' d+ d+ R8 A, ^1 |& ?' P8 G% j- [enlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of
8 f. U/ f; F) I9 T8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well
* M/ D1 y j2 J6 Y) edeveloped. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around+ R3 e2 _2 i* B% W& y& I
5408 T/ E7 k5 w q5 s- t3 [! Z K
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
% U9 Y9 _# t S& T0 w4 B2 Ithe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The
* A7 g6 x, Z# P1 J0 \+ R: Itesticular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.
7 b$ i5 r8 E& g0 q2 nThe skin was moist and smooth and somewhat$ ?$ j: f& U7 w3 f: @
oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
/ R8 K) D E& c0 I9 sabnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.
9 t' o _1 @8 m, ^% p: hNeurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+$ D8 Z' u8 P w2 I5 k7 C- k
bilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion
6 V. @1 M0 m/ I- a+ Kof papilledema./ s9 e7 ^4 ~5 _5 L% O; H: e
Laboratory Evaluation9 m6 X( N& f% D3 Z: I$ m1 i( X0 b
The bone age was consistent with 28 months by0 J8 a2 R' o+ q0 [5 [
using the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-
" F* l h2 k! H4 k( I Tlogic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal+ M( D+ F" a0 A; N& r
karyotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test
# Z0 i2 {( Y/ }+ I$ t, yshowed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-
9 g0 \/ d ?% L/ w- Nlating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).
( R! D2 d9 r8 P! Q$ E: TThe concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood: e. p" F; G4 R, {' m- c( l4 W& L
urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
4 ^ z9 \$ z0 L- l' a' J1 c$ Gwithin normal range for his age. The concentration
j$ l% M" g- [7 i7 u' t8 ~ }of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL
$ Q$ E4 e+ [, {2 D1 Z. V(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20
Y* K" Q& j8 jng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-4 N E) T( L, L) C2 h; T
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),
, D) q. Y; U) q" H g) K- F1 ~" ndesoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to Y* K. Z- q9 P! C4 d0 l
49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)6 D9 K; o% F" y- j6 e0 z0 p, S- L
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-; G- u. ^# |# H" }, d* }
tisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total# Y! G$ T- Q5 C, K/ W
testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),* z; d8 E ~- k4 w7 D
and β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than. P5 j/ e8 }& @5 z+ L9 d- l' s+ @
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular
* f- Y( `) [/ O9 Ostimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone# j" J5 j6 c: U. ?; x
concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL' Y0 |3 `0 S) q* T4 |6 T* k
(prepubertal).
$ V+ d" o# I9 W, K ]0 V5 n) G9 bThe parents were notified about the laboratory
' J' |* o6 j4 E7 r* mresults and were informed that all of the tests were
! `" I0 B* C% n' ^normal except the testosterone level was high. The' [3 t0 M+ v" M0 R$ q" Q- S3 f) \7 t
follow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to
2 C+ |$ g+ B: z9 X# h5 w) E2 `( lobtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how- N/ B: q; K9 \6 ]
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.
& i X7 H9 F1 w& n+ O* C# H& [Physical examination at this time revealed that the
( d( p0 N+ x3 Xchild had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained5 l# n9 S5 \0 f+ _0 @4 z
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
# L8 t. w8 p& n( D1 v8 `, P$ Yunchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-
/ T6 m5 A( i! T9 u, ]pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at' O0 N" K7 o2 Z2 o! S+ A
the base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2
. i3 C& X! W9 a, d: @mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.
3 z' t. E" T* B1 B; _The mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-
, g* z' k* G. G* C3 Fing frequent erections.
, d5 }7 M' y7 m" D H( tBoth parents were again questioned about use of
% p! X+ s" P# Z$ J3 w* Many ointment/creams that they may have applied to
6 ?9 Z2 I/ {' m0 s1 Z9 `! Xthe child’s skin. This time the father admitted the- B6 ?' u, i. ^- Z' Y* v2 O* h' s4 ?
Topical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541( u+ o7 b6 W- L
use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-
; n" e/ b; U) E" n3 o8 B# ?ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for
- P+ R$ x9 ?2 M' M+ va year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed- ?, x5 s4 {& r4 c! y, h
to disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-8 i; F2 r$ C, z. U9 l
scribed by his family physician for decreased libido
( Y* l1 d+ e: o. \/ V( a, Hsecondary to depression.
' Q3 x' S1 E' H' r5 M4 K! Q' AThe child slept in the same bed with parents.
& l6 |" h0 n7 q/ X, W$ UThe father would hug the baby and hold him on his
6 y/ U" Q. i w6 u1 m, r/ ~chest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-
) C! @$ Q) h7 Y, K# k( Z6 Rnificant bare skin contact between baby and father.: D$ | T. E4 }4 \& J/ ]/ Y& J
The father also admitted that after the phone call,+ V# Z* f0 G5 ~2 j% }" i$ f
when he learned the testosterone level in the baby: D% f. f8 q( ]4 W7 q8 w3 J! d
was high, he then read the product information- y7 _. L2 K3 S2 b
packet and concluded that it was most likely the rea-2 H6 Z% ?7 S! \/ q- m# E
son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they
/ }2 \5 a6 F+ ?! {decided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the4 t* Q- T! D* J" t; e$ q
father was not hugging him with bare skin and had; F3 g0 C2 P% C# d- d) i+ Q& w
been using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone
& q5 ^9 o1 e2 a9 X2 Jtest was ordered, but the family did not go to the
- Z4 p1 b0 |# B) A2 p+ Alaboratory to obtain the test.
, r3 J! R# F! o! T4 Z. A8 }. _- fDiscussion
8 I% u" A% a3 b: n. s- rPrecocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary
$ h. L% h' ? Z! x0 ^( J6 tsexual development before 9 years of age.1,4
5 f) _2 G Q/ V5 y; z# dPrecocious puberty is termed as central (true) when+ | C" u$ o6 l, u' W) B8 {) G
it is caused by the premature activation of hypo-; X+ z9 l3 p. }6 M% ^- j. D
thalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
! {8 [* J! y1 Q+ Bmon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP
5 L& O& M5 q" ^4 Bmay have a central nervous system lesion that is
! g4 U( J& o5 C) v; i, M0 A8 r9 cresponsible for the early activation of the hypothal-) O% S* @/ M! w
amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-" u' g% a! ?7 {) c) w4 X+ T- N5 w
sis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in
8 `0 [2 D) t7 \4 G7 w9 g2 |; {boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-
% A' V% [1 X$ F, ~1 Zization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-
4 ~0 z% B8 S9 Y! Orical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by' t1 s: r, K, }; m. m+ z
gonadotropins.1,3
& b! C0 f$ p9 {2 F. e4 C2 b7 gGonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-
n0 \ F7 ?* qcious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate9 F, r& ~, m; a$ ]( y" X! ?
androgenic stimulation from either endogenous or
- ?/ j& b, q5 t R0 F6 @exogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-
) g: r: {% H7 s! f( oulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing$ \$ s* J6 {2 {! G1 Z% Y2 A! ~; L
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive
: h2 B& ]$ M! N/ m3 Jadrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
* U0 s$ X G; Npuberty in boys.3,4( l6 |# h2 K0 U$ J- v& v" b
The most common form of congenital adrenal. y8 Y; \: K( J
hyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.4 h; f K) t& I: `$ |7 S( _; O
The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in
, Q" Z" T3 W- `+ ~' M, qexcessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely," ?6 u" Z/ g/ y
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen; s1 d* E1 S) J4 d
excess.1,3
* Z" C4 Y N/ K5 j# o6 Fat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
- V% W8 i( s+ C" T6 ]542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007# W- B% x% ~3 r
A unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-
[) Q: m- {6 ~8 |3 ?independent precocious puberty, which is also known* W& x, @- b( N1 Z2 _6 O
as testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a; n4 Z* L* h5 K4 e! Y
very young age. The physical findings in these boys
/ P j# j6 g. Uwith this disorder are full pubertal development,
, u+ T' `# r9 a. ?, cincluding bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys
4 d; x3 d! X! r c) h' @7 g9 L5 y# Q! y$ Twith CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder
v/ Q$ I$ w' L5 y" e- e; A2 \' ` ?are suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show
6 ]2 l; {6 D4 K5 d9 L( ^pubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-
1 m2 u" f% I. v% ~" Q) E, v! Vreleasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked2 T* T6 ^- X6 s' M5 a0 i9 u
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only- J q2 ~8 y" Q5 M B
males; therefore, other male members of the family# ^5 ^5 \$ A3 ?$ ]2 R. F
may have similar precocious puberty.3
, K# i( ]2 v; S; tIn our patient, physical examination was incon-8 w! n9 j5 G6 ]# e+ [5 M
sistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-
) i, _4 Q$ H' V7 p0 icles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis
3 S1 e" s. n" L q2 O- xwas in the differential diagnosis because his father
8 n) T9 j3 b' u$ ^& {4 H. a" Ostarted puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,
2 b# I* }0 ?+ x4 }* o h9 t9 itesticular enlargement is not that evident in the+ p! j9 g4 @$ ~4 K
beginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-
x: e. Y8 I% f4 O9 {' ?# lative initial history of androgen exposure, our
9 W& u$ \. H* z+ i+ O; d' }& bbiggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,8 V% ]! B o$ l% C0 e1 [
either 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
0 {& W/ T7 K$ c6 v% e5 vdeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-- H2 S+ J z7 J: Y* s
ing the normal level of adrenal steroids.
7 t: Q* I9 j. ^3 qThe diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly
# `& }( ?$ M$ ?suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because# C( p5 Z$ V% s6 g5 @* T
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-( G( z4 r8 v2 P: a6 {
pearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and, u0 {# D. }. l5 M
decreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
$ b0 b' P& w* [" |0 _terone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was
& z$ j- N5 @6 p) g' Y: R" X; Nusing it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’) o) [, o h# u( y* t0 ]
Desk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or
! I$ f4 N3 m2 }( V) G' T! m6 T% hcream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
v& e2 X5 O: ]unprotected females through direct skin exposure.
+ J0 v/ P1 ^1 M1 \0 B* ^Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the
# |2 O0 [+ a n! U2 r. j/ kbaseline value in those females who were exposed to+ e2 v/ y! [6 ~9 X$ o- h2 _1 E
even 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male/ `1 p6 h, G/ ]
partners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-& |( r6 k2 M: v
tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.( s; Z% w2 c1 R+ n" f
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,
# L; T5 @' b4 _2 }which was clearly high. Some studies suggest that
5 E. ?/ Y3 J) F$ Fdermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-9 ~# G2 _: S) ]$ E6 E; D
terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more; X) L% q1 I9 {+ d
active in young children exposed to testosterone7 L( |6 d! Z5 k8 g2 {
exogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-/ _5 `% e1 b. v% g( P) R7 ^% u
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to/ R1 T; H( \+ R$ u3 `; Z* n1 y
virilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
! a; y3 O: Y: X* S0 c1 E) e5 i& E' Dchildren results in an increase in growth velocity and2 g: _8 \9 {# _, \8 S- [! l
advanced bone age, as seen in our patient.7 B2 ]# |1 [1 c2 l8 i7 X& s- G0 `
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during4 W C7 v& t0 D" q. t! C7 v. d
early childhood on pubertal development and final
8 X; Y/ w* k& p' y0 vadult height are not fully known and always remain
4 Y @ F- Q) Z6 I3 v" d- N/ ua concern. Children treated with short-term testos-
7 |& x4 H5 Z K; p, B3 b) q6 R: Q% j) @terone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some$ ~% w. d5 I9 z( {7 y6 y
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after" O) r( U0 q6 O0 H
cessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation
4 ^% k, l: E1 m. J/ Y( w9 vdecelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,9
- B- X* j9 c+ o( k. P+ N5 lThere are conflicting reports and controversy
; N5 X1 i4 _# I; r& d' U9 nover the effect of early androgen exposure on adult/ ~8 X% F4 S0 n; z! o' b& _
penile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal
2 L: X3 z0 Q# q: oadult penile length, apparently because of downreg-
$ t B) }4 ?$ l7 m0 kulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,
) p- ~- t: `8 k+ `1 |. d e5 qSutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between# { m5 |6 L$ e6 u0 r% y# M, h
childhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult" c% Y9 ?3 ~6 g. [0 J1 J
penile length in clinical studies.
/ q, c3 D2 |( I: j& n3 ZNonetheless, we do not believe our patient is1 A6 B ]1 c" U1 q6 A) H, [
going to experience any of the untoward effects from
: {2 e/ v8 I1 htestosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because
; n5 p1 U# k& V x! Z* m, kthe exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.
8 e2 j& W! Z# i( ^/ J3 n$ N+ p( k4 jAlthough the bone age was advanced at the time of3 s+ i- ?( e6 X! m' x/ a
diagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at
D* d8 E7 l7 l; {+ W# { wthe follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult
( B5 p: y- x& t$ [6 s b. ~height will not be affected.
' t8 A# s( d8 P0 Q: rAlthough rarely reported, the widespread avail-- E: H6 d' i9 g4 L
ability of androgen products in our society may( [3 [: M$ N' ?: }/ h1 a
indeed cause more virilization in male or female
1 D: B I# e: o, s# n8 echildren than one would realize. Exposure to andro-
) ?4 O: i/ Q4 r' y9 }9 O/ qgen products must be considered and specific ques-5 E( r2 ` `9 G4 p9 q2 K* ?3 y# w' F7 y- P. p
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or/ [/ \3 l# t9 E. A, D% J
gel should be asked of the family members during/ Y9 O0 P6 m G7 V8 y2 G
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-
. k. a0 b0 E; ^, B: U$ iilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-" D/ w3 s) [* Q, I
nosis can be established by just a few tests and by
& C3 z7 }8 ` a3 s- A& x. wappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a7 Z, i' A6 n* v9 s7 M* e" k
history, or failure to ask the specific questions, may+ S3 b7 ~, K/ k" x5 n; R* q
result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive8 F7 b9 _ E( R3 Z+ C1 N
investigation. The primary care physician should be
. ^( `3 {& P( Z0 x h0 j7 y, Laware of this fact, because most of these children
* O3 y7 J1 `$ W$ O# O, w" Emay initially present in their practice. The Physicians’
3 z" x5 e3 f& x5 `! Q; S" y1 ~" m4 JDesk Reference and package insert should also put a4 K2 n4 \' q# g$ v1 y
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or
! y4 b6 V& l1 c% a8 d2 Cfemale child who might come in contact with some-
: s7 y3 s9 ]1 N4 G2 Ione using any of these products.: _7 C& _5 | u$ K9 }
References
( L8 ]' r! T$ R1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation" J, y( o8 Y( a, V2 x) `& y
and puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric8 w4 q6 M/ i$ J4 Y6 [( E
Endocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;
( ~( c2 _6 u) ]; j* e% a& I. q2002: 565-628.! l7 n2 I' ?7 {% o( T! _
2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious
4 }" L( l& w2 w8 d. fpuberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
|