In medicine, precocious puberty is puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most cases, the process is normal in every aspect except the unusually early age, and simply represents a variation of normal development. In a minority of children, the early development is triggered by a disease such as a tumor or injury of the brain. Even when there is no disease, unusually early puberty can have adverse effects on social behavior and psychological development, can reduce adult height potential, and may shift some lifelong health risks. Central precocious puberty can be treated by suppressing the pituitary hormones that induce sex steroid production.
The term is used with several slightly different meanings that are usually apparent from the context. In its broadest sense, and often simplified as early puberty, "precocious puberty" sometimes refers to any physical sex hormone effect, due to any cause, occurring earlier than the usual age, especially when it is being considered as a medical problem. Stricter definitions of "precocity" may refer only to central puberty starting before a statistically specified age based on percentile in the population (e.g., 2.5 standard deviations below the population mean), on expert recommendations of ages at which there is more than a negligible chance of discovering an abnormal cause, or based on opinion as to the age at which early puberty may have adverse effects. A common definition for medical purposes is onset before 8 years in girls or 9 years in boys.
We researched this topic for you and found the following best online resources. They are categorized into basic, advanced, and research level based on the extent of information you need. You will be taken to the respective websites by pressing on the links below.
Basic information:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/precocious-puberty/basics/definition/con-20029745 mayoclinic precocious puberty
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/puberty/pages/complications.aspx nhs uk early or delayed puberty
http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/endocrine-disorders-in-children/precocious-puberty merck manuals(professional version) precocious puberty
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001168.htm medline plus precocious puberty
http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/causes-symptoms web md early puberty: causes and consequences
http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/precocious.html kids health precocious puberty
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/magazine/puberty-before-age-10-a-new-normal.html?_r=0 new york times puberty before age 10: a new ‘normal’?
http://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health/a-parents-guide-to-precocious-puberty.aspx everyday health a parent's guide to precocious puberty
http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/hc/precocious-puberty-3168516/ health central precocious puberty
http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/articles/precocious-puberty university of maryland medical center precocious puberty
Advanced information:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/924002-overview medscape precocious puberty
http://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/precocious-puberty/ national organisation for rare diseases precocious puberty
http://patient.info/in/doctor/precocious-puberty-pro patient precocious puberty
http://www.pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/dnn_bilm/paediatric/childhoodadolescence/precociouspubertyinfemales.aspx pathology precocious sexual development in girls
https://www.britannica.com/science/precocious-puberty britannica precocious puberty
http://www.fpnotebook.com/endo/sex/prcspbrty.htm family practise note book precocious puberty
http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/pediatric-endocrinology/news/print/endocrine-today/%7b1d656332-2272-494a-a326-d9e606a72af6%7d/early-pubertal-changes-do-not-necessarily-mean-precocious-puberty healio early pubertal changes do not necessarily mean precocious puberty
http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/0701/p209.html disorders of puberty by richard d. blondell, m.d., michael b. foster, m.d., and kamlesh c. dave, m.b.b.s., university of louisville school of medicine, louisville, kentucky am fam physician. 1999 jul 1;60(1):209-218.
Research:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fped.2015.00093/full case report article front. pediatr., 02 november 2015 | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fped.2015.00093 true precocious puberty following treatment of a leydig cell tumor: two case reports and literature review by alberto verrotti et al.,
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cripe/2014/104543/ irappa madabhavi, apurva patel, mukesh choudhary, et al., “paraneoplastic recurrent hypoglycaemic seizures: an initial presentation of hepatoblastoma in an adolescent male—a rare entity,” case reports in pediatrics, vol. 2014, article id 104543, 5 pages, 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/104543
http://www.kjp.or.kr/upload/2012550102-20120244150644.pdf the genes associated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone-dependent precocious puberty by jin soon hwang, md, phd et al., korean j pediatr 2012;55(1):6-10 • http://dx.doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2012.55.1.6
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2012.00148/full review article front. endocrinol., 28 november 2012 | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2012.00148 gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone action in the brain and pituitary by takayoshi ubuka et al,
shah p, patkar d, patankar t, shah j, srinivasa p, krishnan a. mr imaging features in hypothalamic hamartoma: a report of three cases and review of literature. j postgrad med [serial online] 1999 [cited 2016 aug 12];45:84. available from: http://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp?1999/45/3/84/342
http://ijp.mums.ac.ir/pdf_2416_f3d93c1ae3233d1ae4111fe983169320.html mccune-albright syndrome: a case report and literature review by moein mobini et al., international journal of pediatrics, vol.2, n.2-2, serial no.5, apr 2014
kumar m, mukhopadhyay s, dutta d. challenges and controversies in diagnosis and management of gonadotropin dependent precocious puberty: an indian perspective. indian j endocr metab [serial online] 2015 [cited 2016 aug 12];19:228-35. available from: http://www.ijem.in/text.asp?2015/19/2/228/149316
haroon nn, agarwal g, pandey r, dabadghao p. juvenile granulosa cell tumor presenting as isosexual precocious puberty: a case report and review of literature. indian j endocr metab [serial online] 2013 [cited 2016 aug 12];17:157-9. available from: http://www.ijem.in/text.asp?2013/17/1/157/107870
http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=pmc4634943&blobtype=pdf kim sh, huh k, won s, lee k-w, park m-j (2015) a significant increase in the incidence of central precocious puberty among korean girls from 2004 to 2010. plos one 10(11): e0141844. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141844
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2015.00152/full review article front. endocrinol., 29 september 2015 | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2015.00152 enetic models for the study of luteinizing hormone receptor function by prema narayan
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fendo.2012.00149/full review article front. endocrinol., 13 december 2012 | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2012.00149 a potential mechanism for the sexual dimorphism in the onset of puberty and incidence of idiopathic central precocious puberty in children: sex-specific kisspeptin as an integrator of puberty signals by suzy d. c. bianco
chaudhary v, bano s. imaging of pediatric pituitary endocrinopathies. indian j endocr metab [serial online] 2012 [cited 2016 aug 12];16:682-91. available from: http://www.ijem.in/text.asp?2012/16/5/682/100635
http://ijponline.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1824-7288-38-54 precocious puberty in turner syndrome: report of a case and review of the literature by nicola improda et al., italian journal of pediatrics201238:54 doi: 10.1186/1824-7288-38-54
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3212801/ int j pediatr endocrinol. 2011; 2011(1): 184502. published online 2011 jan 27. doi: 10.1155/2011/184502 pmcid: pmc3212801 gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty: neoplastic causes and endocrine considerations by matthew d stephen et al.,
chittwar s, shivprakash, ammini a c. precocious puberty in girls. indian j endocr metab [serial online] 2012 [cited 2016 aug 18];16, suppl s2:188-91. available from: http://www.ijem.in/text.asp?2012/16/8/188/104036
Other helpful resources(support groups):
http://hgfound.org/resources/precocious-puberty/ human growth foundation
Related videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhyqyvqq6k0 precocious puberty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da2iwgo1mhc precocious puberty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsikdqidvqc precocious puberty in girls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mue5tbqgg70 stopping early puberty in girls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvwa9pbr7b4 precocious puberty in children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txh_mty3_tk quick pediatrics: precocious puberty in girls & boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzowhnxu1bq precocious puberty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkfte5eq9r8 what signs indicate early puberty in girls?
Presentations/quiz/newspaper articles:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/16/early-precocious-puberty.aspx mercola puberty before age 10: a new ‘normal’?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3619726/pictured-indian-boy-2-diagnosed-precocious-puberty-gives-sexual-urges-pubic-hair-painful-erections.html daily mail pictured: indian boy, 2, diagnosed with 'precocious puberty' that gives him sexual urges, pubic hair and 'painful' erections
read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3619726/pictured-indian-boy-2-diagnosed-precocious-puberty-gives-sexual-urges-pubic-hair-painful-erections.html#ixzz4heabrhb2
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http://www.newsweek.com/2015/02/06/puberty-comes-earlier-and-earlier-girls-301920.html news week puberty comes earlier and earlier for girls
http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/early-puberty-girls-epidemic alternet early puberty in girls is becoming epidemic and getting worse
http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/precocious-puberty/story-oniatpfusxzmbvuwahfdno.html hindustan times precocious puberty
http://www.slideshare.net/drsantoshmogali/precocious-puberty-16081282 precocious puberty dr santosh mogali
https://www.thesun.co.uk/2016/07/12/concerned-mum-tells-of-shock-after-her-little-girl-started-puberty-aged-just-two/ the sun 'she's like a teenager' tot has teenage tantrums and developed breasts after hitting puberty at two
http://www.wlox.com/story/30739507/bodily-changes-dont-always-signal-precocious-puberty-in-kids wlox bodily changes don't always signal 'precocious' puberty in kids