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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old' I2 W2 r- L5 y2 q
Boy Induced by Indirect Topical
# v5 B. ~) O$ v6 u- QExposure to Testosterone
" j3 ~: I ]2 F" x1 k: {. FSamar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2
! _( a B5 x2 ~6 T _. v: i) Vand Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1
4 A, c* v7 p2 K& k8 cClinical Pediatrics
5 v6 D# D4 V8 ?Volume 46 Number 6& f! {7 m5 W% E
July 2007 540-543$ F7 l* O+ p, A7 z* U) G1 C
© 2007 Sage Publications
5 P2 W8 N; Q1 S/ }' K10.1177/0009922806296651
, v8 P: W) Q7 M# yhttp://clp.sagepub.com
( ?" _: }) ^* D1 B2 q* jhosted at
" p3 X( n: \4 I4 H5 U& f3 v+ Chttp://online.sagepub.com
7 Z1 S; I( C1 b% N( m9 GPrecocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral, B# z/ P9 _/ L4 u
is a significant concern for physicians. Central
- F2 t/ Z5 y) s2 }) }* Q" r9 I- oprecocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated
, w1 B+ G( _' l: f" r$ d, Jthrough the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has s# R8 D4 W8 _4 D2 O. t
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system
) Y1 {: s4 i: D5 `" t- @8 J' m$ U! ^lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested
9 \! l* J2 _3 N- `( lby enlargement of the penis, development of pubic
6 }6 C; N% S! v7 R; y. ~3 Khair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-4 J* L' W; X. n$ C0 m, `
cles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
6 u8 p* l& ^9 J4 {. mreport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the# s& K$ r* {# b5 @. T: k1 @
enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-
7 R/ ^' z% H0 f1 Z- f7 T/ _7 Kment without testicular enlargement, which was due
; ~/ U- ~2 R- `& W6 _2 ~to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
+ ]- ?' j* c2 j0 v# @" Wthe father. The family initially concealed this infor-* k3 z4 ~% h/ N7 I- R
mation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this0 _* N7 @) |* N6 q
child. Given the widespread and easy availability of
3 h+ I& w; n$ q2 o, B) x; vtestosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-, A5 l# r9 t9 x
bly more common than the rare case report in the; M y$ O, o4 D2 G) w
literature.46 }! f G- Y1 B# P3 }
Patient Report
- V7 P- j9 V3 u8 ?$ }A 16-month-old white child was referred to the
8 ]3 @: {) b. d! t9 Jendocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern
4 S. L5 j3 B1 C& e5 y9 @6 Yof early sexual development. His mother noticed
?: L) ?+ c y/ ~light colored pubic hair development when he was
+ T0 J x6 Q9 f2 f- \1 g. dFrom the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of$ n/ h, S0 h9 {+ P9 D
South Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.
; _, X- a1 f' C( ?; w) e f9 aAddress correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,
g/ C' L$ T7 T1 wProfessor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of
% e- b+ U# c2 s% TMedicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;
- o/ |6 `% V$ G7 @6 t3 U4 we-mail: [email protected].* f; n1 @4 g' ]/ p1 b. U+ w
about 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became
7 S* _' w- ]- M& J+ K/ P+ t6 Kdarker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-3 n/ |5 ^9 \: L# k: W
ment of his penis and frequent erections. The child* t& x1 |& R* L$ [" A# P8 U: V/ }
was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
( s# |& } C) D- ~( e) A/ v1 la birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of, l% A+ R) w& j2 O# l- \
20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year7 B; C# s9 ^% ?
of life and was still receiving breast milk along with" m2 S9 a5 v* b% E" U# ?: R
solid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
2 Q) f" K2 U1 H* Xand his psychosocial and psychomotor development) v8 x- z/ A3 C) z* Y/ p, r! x! \" _
was age appropriate.% X' v& \8 f& G) @: O. C, ?
The family history was remarkable for the father,
- V5 ^8 }8 ]# X9 c6 I) J! ^7 Mwho was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16," r& {7 N8 O' I4 C
which was treated with thyroxine. The father’s
2 K8 e8 e0 n/ x" |3 wheight was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
" g8 U G; E0 P% M5 f( I9 b- yearly puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.
+ P! }9 N) x) R2 m: l c+ bThe father denied taking any other medication. The; L; I y- i) F. M0 @! o, e
child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche
: j3 m; A5 {" W9 `0 nwas at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet
% O: h4 b' p* O9 i6 ]7 c5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-8 V) u# B1 a7 ?4 ~9 c' P7 A
cocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-
4 E6 r5 o: }" Z4 w& U: E3 t4 c- Rtives. There were no siblings.
- i! _& W* u: d _' Q; FPhysical Examination
+ x1 m( t; V" p# j3 oThe physical examination revealed a very active," G3 Q, N/ K, x# V+ w
playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented
* V8 l) g) t' _$ da blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
- S. u) S1 N0 W* g! R: x" _90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg5 u0 k' W4 E% G1 t8 |* q2 N6 |
(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth6 Z4 D0 d* I8 Y* [
velocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of1 O0 h5 J1 f9 \9 q- B2 Z2 t
the neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.
, O% _: T& D& F; n& h1 [The genitourinary examination was remarkable for
: g9 _6 g* @5 F- i& Aenlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of
/ f! ]( s) j! u' b8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well
% Q+ r: ^& K; R: a- ddeveloped. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around
' E+ v' B2 i/ j& O8 Z540
. |" p* A9 F: ]/ V1 F6 Sat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from3 \( A5 d/ m* U* A+ d* C( _( w
the base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The
4 @+ i6 n, p8 T& m+ S$ m I& o; [testicular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.+ a7 M+ z1 x8 Q5 G% ?
The skin was moist and smooth and somewhat
4 r2 y/ G5 u! J$ y! ~oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no4 A3 T+ T' f5 ], v8 [3 ^; [9 l
abnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.
1 |7 _4 g' U" t- E2 O. Y4 ?# cNeurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+
' B# U2 |3 ]9 ]" v' Y0 p7 m0 P$ ^/ Gbilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion% N3 C% L6 B2 x( a+ ^1 _+ U) g, N
of papilledema.7 N1 k2 s; s5 X M' V) r* |, J
Laboratory Evaluation1 Z# E8 G5 {. J2 S
The bone age was consistent with 28 months by6 V9 \% Z. s1 v+ e2 U
using the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-8 f; K; r% v1 s
logic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal6 c4 A9 L- Q7 k
karyotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test ~/ V9 y- F9 }: W- Q& }2 ^8 Q
showed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-
$ b: Y0 z, j/ D$ i+ L$ Ylating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).
% z0 b* O K6 f+ n5 w. A$ B5 @$ nThe concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood
% I1 E) F7 y8 T, I% ]' H3 I$ turea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
. K* [: l E: [ T Zwithin normal range for his age. The concentration
1 D: Y$ b/ X# Q+ h! j. gof serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL. R7 Z$ ]* q2 j; J. W
(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20
3 B. g) [' u) E B- C$ yng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-3 H. G z1 c5 L; X
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),
8 f: `# O5 L K( e) \# R( s" udesoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
% C' q& E" d% D6 `% Z Y' Q49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)6 K i* a9 w' x
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-
+ N" e' H) C$ T/ k. L2 Atisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total
7 I0 s/ K! P( i3 ?5 K ^& [" q. n# @: W+ rtestosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),
0 y( F- w3 J) A: X# c* U cand β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than
) S4 m' t4 r- g0 U* F6 H( j" L$ n, {5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular
' ~" f0 J3 p3 }2 J, b1 S1 tstimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone
2 n- Y5 q2 E' R( |concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL
% A; H2 K5 V5 q( ?& q(prepubertal).$ g& _( Y$ O' K& e& J' N6 Q5 e
The parents were notified about the laboratory
# t" q: V& o+ A, W) L* wresults and were informed that all of the tests were6 H& \( a3 E e9 _, N- y4 l! O9 _
normal except the testosterone level was high. The) i, s7 E8 V# K" g( L8 s
follow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to0 @# C; r! T9 ?# h! }% H) F$ c
obtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-
2 e) H/ v, n$ [0 `7 T5 h. aever, the family did not return for 4 months.
) w* r& u4 x' V! y* v( gPhysical examination at this time revealed that the5 W9 e" l& V) P+ H s8 E+ z
child had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained
! z0 R+ b% D {: K7 x9 H# l2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
* Y [. S" g- e) Funchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-; ?% m9 [7 f+ k# W: }2 c
pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at
2 L% y1 @5 j2 r! R9 i& z; Kthe base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2
5 A* V" ~$ U- X4 a( O& }$ nmL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.
7 U7 B+ {% Z; cThe mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-
; L2 O9 ^" M" G5 p: {& hing frequent erections.
+ W! a$ R% L" N0 }1 W$ XBoth parents were again questioned about use of
" o' Z! b ~0 e/ ?any ointment/creams that they may have applied to9 ]" {' f9 X' p, }7 R! O
the child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
( C; W1 q; C ~+ I( l% z$ STopical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541
+ @& t$ J5 @$ g0 A+ `use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-
0 a+ j# H/ [$ C- y iing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for, k! ]; h W2 p+ @4 ]
a year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed
) l# l# p- j1 n* Wto disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-/ ]7 ]! b0 |$ y, B8 Q
scribed by his family physician for decreased libido
- J0 n, {0 \0 o% a# usecondary to depression.0 [" B, H' i0 U
The child slept in the same bed with parents.
9 j) e, S5 O. }3 k9 `The father would hug the baby and hold him on his
! T: y& K; u4 g' a, N( Z1 q Ochest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-$ s" ~+ t6 p& s: g3 G) Q8 B
nificant bare skin contact between baby and father.7 T) l0 q9 O$ {1 \; f: H
The father also admitted that after the phone call,
" s( ~$ W; }1 ^( r {) dwhen he learned the testosterone level in the baby
m) Z: b* z. \5 f' P4 R9 Pwas high, he then read the product information
% x, E! {: `) Q7 |; ^- z5 d, Mpacket and concluded that it was most likely the rea-3 m+ t( y% n& k( y" j. ^$ L# Y
son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they0 E2 [# s1 ~0 d
decided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
+ f: |1 G4 D" ^7 A# J% ]3 \father was not hugging him with bare skin and had. L# K4 F. A& _7 q
been using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone a: H( S5 V4 Y# |' q# e( W
test was ordered, but the family did not go to the! h% p: a6 c4 d) W. ^9 ~
laboratory to obtain the test.- O& H8 }( O4 F1 ^
Discussion% O5 _ y6 k6 l2 N2 r f: `. q
Precocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary7 c* I' S" E! L! E
sexual development before 9 years of age.1,4( v9 c1 W5 i8 B" I( ?: e
Precocious puberty is termed as central (true) when
$ H a4 W7 n6 l& M7 Eit is caused by the premature activation of hypo-: F; i; d4 S G/ v: b& {
thalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
/ O K+ [ I$ l/ O5 Xmon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP- O; ~8 r! R8 M9 l
may have a central nervous system lesion that is" `& d3 T- h9 t# a$ v" Z
responsible for the early activation of the hypothal-) F m+ b7 Z+ a' q& [; x
amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-) ^. f# m2 J) _* m* R2 ?
sis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in3 ]6 y, L0 R% j! g9 b, y
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-3 V" n/ F7 G& w R' W
ization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-. `; P4 J' r4 @/ c5 f* w% Q( H+ R7 b6 ~' e
rical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by
: V8 R3 q; O2 b- q/ ?- Z# Zgonadotropins.1,3
; y6 ~( Z& [; l6 v# I3 R2 m+ fGonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-6 B& x+ D+ Z! ^& P0 K* y X
cious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate
) B/ e) b" ~; S8 M& d2 P4 t# |3 Wandrogenic stimulation from either endogenous or
' W+ Y8 s& Q3 f; e uexogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-
5 [& b1 s7 f3 s+ y6 D; Culation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing
7 b* P( ~3 h# `' ]7 S- M& pcongenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive
" m- {, c4 O( N5 T4 M/ Radrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious* m" C, i! y$ ~) W8 T, B; h8 ?+ n! m
puberty in boys.3,4
% ]( ~& g, v' A! g3 t+ {The most common form of congenital adrenal
5 m2 \% O8 l* u# ]$ Bhyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.- e* f5 t9 s3 g# t9 }* P( X
The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in! }+ l# m% x) `1 g' O, V
excessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,8 p" j6 s. ]+ R' N( J9 Q
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
2 }6 m' h8 w g: m: }6 q1 y! `excess.1,3
6 \- E. a& \( @+ a; Y0 zat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
+ j6 r. q! v/ d' x$ T: w" ~" L542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
$ i, f+ K9 I+ t |+ wA unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-1 y( a3 h+ V j' `: j
independent precocious puberty, which is also known, B. v$ {* a7 o- `7 d0 {! m
as testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a; A5 d: L7 E( f, x0 U: W0 R) {, ]
very young age. The physical findings in these boys
6 q b) s5 m* v4 m3 G6 Vwith this disorder are full pubertal development,
8 T! D+ `5 m. z! r7 H* X9 iincluding bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys
$ J8 }8 E: R, x: E) H% B7 s3 Z8 ?with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder
' z% T& R( j8 n( e" xare suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show* P0 H0 ?. ?% ~) R0 J& Q- S- R- ~
pubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-# t+ H: M7 ^+ N% |- d
releasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked, X( @: Q. P e) V4 j
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only- l& B. Q2 R# T2 k: N0 Q: F( n" d
males; therefore, other male members of the family3 B, P0 [) C5 R: V4 C; [9 l
may have similar precocious puberty.37 p; q# c9 J6 l0 ]) l
In our patient, physical examination was incon-
; L: [9 H5 Z7 s) R& {2 Usistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-1 f4 H' d; ~* y; ^# k9 L. D7 i
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis0 L8 T$ ]/ @2 D7 _
was in the differential diagnosis because his father0 W& I( c1 p' r: a
started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,1 `6 O1 f. x3 M4 K. }3 V- I" J
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the/ Y2 Y ~ E |% U0 Y
beginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-2 J+ V& E7 S) W0 }& q
ative initial history of androgen exposure, our2 X3 N1 U) i4 D' @
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,% T# j ?( T; n% S4 P0 ?- o1 G
either 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
# \7 j& X/ V3 R$ ~1 ?- ^6 cdeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-
& E. F4 k/ _- O' p8 Xing the normal level of adrenal steroids.: c7 c3 D* U3 T/ T- S
The diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly' j6 ^9 S+ A \( j4 g
suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because& u% m5 Q1 e! b! X* d: o
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-
8 x) h' `; F" K' Z8 zpearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and8 M& G+ k8 O$ a% [: e
decreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
! ^' z( K# J" O' P' A8 ?5 A; Y: ]6 Iterone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was$ X. c3 r' b) V+ r
using it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’" Q! ]- S* b! R- V
Desk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or
/ z6 S* f0 k9 Z# O, W* @: n! n( ]cream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
; {, j }4 g: l; ]% c) dunprotected females through direct skin exposure.
) x" O7 n2 _/ _, e7 S; U) xSerum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the
7 P, B* k. y' C% Y Vbaseline value in those females who were exposed to0 H* r: m: e+ t, h. k. H9 ^
even 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male
& L7 e0 J" X5 Lpartners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-
D( P! a) {+ M# R# [2 u8 Gtion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.% l, {$ t" R! G# H$ h8 M! w
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,$ d3 x2 O! V3 }, A6 s( C4 w
which was clearly high. Some studies suggest that* \, z- L( K5 ?5 b
dermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-- Q* K9 K3 w5 V& Z' B
terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more( c9 e' O/ B5 V% H
active in young children exposed to testosterone
) H8 ^ ~4 [7 ]3 d1 jexogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-6 \+ v, D3 M# r' T
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to9 p. O8 _% n- m6 L
virilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
: d4 k; t% d+ `2 Y9 s. Jchildren results in an increase in growth velocity and
2 M3 o( p: `( X% gadvanced bone age, as seen in our patient.
) s& B9 L# \0 [# F+ g# FThe long-term effect of androgen exposure during
! K& ? c* m) |: {% x# M9 g5 b Searly childhood on pubertal development and final: q& F* I, `% y7 A' Q$ C
adult height are not fully known and always remain! `9 P2 a7 v- u) s! Y( s
a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-9 X9 n# Z3 C/ q! i0 @
terone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some* b2 v3 p& c* C4 s+ i M
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after, `3 e$ Z: E( @# Y
cessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation
7 C: w9 I6 n( |! }7 q4 x# ^decelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,99 A; W& ~% G9 @/ ~0 G {6 E P
There are conflicting reports and controversy+ `* Q7 H, K1 |! U# L) T2 Y$ t) C2 P+ I
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult5 W9 j7 b- K: j2 w( W6 t
penile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal0 C+ a! s/ H0 s) T
adult penile length, apparently because of downreg-" H5 g( }3 D @) U
ulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,
5 o0 J. X% p& b a$ m+ T# QSutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between6 y: ^0 g. e) W; h! ] c. F
childhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult
\8 m1 v. p1 F2 y; m# K' m+ ypenile length in clinical studies.
8 h9 b9 [# \8 c9 q! j# INonetheless, we do not believe our patient is/ e, Y/ J. v$ s. [+ M
going to experience any of the untoward effects from
1 b. P; J( v/ {, Z& Btestosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because: `7 Z. a6 y* j1 o7 v e
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time./ {; H9 K! d* a! q$ o, G
Although the bone age was advanced at the time of0 I8 `9 V ^6 t. X7 [# H
diagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at( l5 m6 S! Y. y$ Y' H q4 N7 \
the follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult
" W5 F3 N% ^6 E% o1 F2 P: H" b! ~0 Fheight will not be affected. M; ^3 x3 Z% \) O( H
Although rarely reported, the widespread avail-- t0 u: i0 C2 T! H
ability of androgen products in our society may
4 f& N( \) M( f7 ?5 N; P- c2 v' Eindeed cause more virilization in male or female2 F2 ~; Z3 M! I6 k8 q
children than one would realize. Exposure to andro-: C2 f' Q0 } P6 c+ U2 o
gen products must be considered and specific ques-, Q3 A# u4 c5 o! N0 h* w. _# [+ E+ p7 y) J
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or, A! o% M2 ]) f3 J; u6 W! x
gel should be asked of the family members during0 t2 Q0 f' I& e6 _
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-
5 J! G& x8 i- H8 m+ X8 Xilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-' m3 m0 Z* i; H$ y: T
nosis can be established by just a few tests and by
9 G$ o& Z& s# M- i4 J' b* Vappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a* g' H% K( a0 u0 D+ Y9 R) l- o
history, or failure to ask the specific questions, may4 q, o) {* i6 e* j& I# w
result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive9 {( y& ]# z; }! V+ Q% L5 K) I
investigation. The primary care physician should be4 f2 m/ Y& R+ |/ ]; P# f u# I
aware of this fact, because most of these children) K; C% j5 Q% M f2 U6 t
may initially present in their practice. The Physicians’! f3 y5 O: d: A( \ L
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a4 i1 L! u% X( }/ C7 k
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or8 f; N; b0 t4 Q" [, J0 o
female child who might come in contact with some-) l" {: k: K, _" w! L" L
one using any of these products.( ^3 A! J5 V: n7 w7 r
References
1 |1 o2 S! g" {' q( }4 o9 l1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation; Q1 [+ |8 d7 g+ f
and puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric* Y* ]: L6 J2 M& o( `, u
Endocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;1 E" a) `9 |0 [; {- G' ]+ [& r
2002: 565-628.
3 q& }6 w. v; l8 U' r6 M" ~, n2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious$ R4 ^4 T- T! K/ u9 }% n
puberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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