Precocious puberty means early puberty. The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) is a domain specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems for tumor diseases. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ... MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... The Diseases Database is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a childs body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. ...

Types and causes

Early pubic hair, breast, or genital development may result from normal but early maturation or from several abnormal conditions. Early puberty which is normal in every way except age is termed idiopathic central precocious puberty. It may be partial or transient. Central puberty can also occur prematurely if the inhibitory system of the brain is damaged, or a hypothalamic hematoma produces pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Secondary sexual development induced by sex steroids from other abnormal sources (gonadal or adrenal tumors, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, etc.) is referred to as peripheral precocious puberty or precocious pseudopuberty. Pubic hair is hair in the frontal genital area, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region. ... The term breast, also known by the Latin mamma in anatomy, refers to the upper ventral region of an animals torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) is a peptide hormone responsible for the release of FSH and LH from the anterior pituitary. ... A sex steroid is a steroid hormone which interacts with vertebrate androgen or estrogen receptors. ... The gonad is the organ that makes gametes. ... In mammals, the adrenal glands are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit atop the kidneys. ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) refers to any of several autosomal recessive diseases resulting from defects in steps of the synthesis of cortisol from cholesterol by the adrenal glands. ...

Clinical significance

Early sexual development deserves evaluation because it may :

1. induce early bone maturation and reduce eventual adult height,
2. cause significant social problems, or
3. indicate the presence of a tumor or other serious problem.

Bone age is a way of describing the degree of maturation of a childs bones. ...

Measures

No single age limit reliably separates normal from abnormal processes, but the following age thresholds for evaluation will minimize the risk of missing a significant problem:

• Pubic hair or genital enlargement in boys with onset before 9 years.
• Breast development in boys before appearance of pubic hair and testicular enlargement.
• Pubic hair before 8 or breast development in girls with onset before 7 years.
• Vaginal bleeding in girls before 10 years.

Suggested causes: Environmental estrogens, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity Pubic hair is hair in the frontal genital area, the crotch, and sometimes at the top of the inside of the legs; these areas form the pubic region. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... Gynecologic hemorrhage is bleeding from the female reproductive system, including uncontrolled bleeding from the vagina other than that associated with a menstrual period or cycle. ...

Other notes

Medical evaluation is sometimes necessary to recognize the few children with serious conditions from the majority who have entered puberty early but are still medically normal.

Children (esp. girls) who are obese are more likely to physically mature earlier. Obesity is an excess storage of fat and can affect any mammal, such as the mouse on the left. ...

Precocious puberty can make a child able to conceive when very young. Both sexes have become parents before age 10. The youngest mother on record is Lina Medina, who gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days. Lina Medina, her son Gerardo, and Dr. Gerardo Lozada Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933 in Paurange, Peru) gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days and is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. ...

See also

• Delayed puberty
• Lina Medina, youngest mother

Puberty is described as delayed when a boy or girl has passed the usual age of onset of puberty with no physical or hormonal signs that it is beginning. ... Lina Medina, her son Gerardo, and Dr. Gerardo Lozada Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933 in Paurange, Peru) gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months and 21 days and is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history. ...

References

• [[|Traggiai C, Stanhope R, ]],  () ({{{Month}}} 2003). [ Disorders of pubertal development]. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 17 (1): 41-56. . PMID 12758225

External links

• University of Michigan
• NIH/Medline
• eMedicine