This is an automatically translated article.
Posted by Master, Doctor Tong Diu Huong - Radiologist - Radiology Department - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital
Precocious puberty is a common and increasing condition in recent years due to many factors. Early puberty can have many consequences that make children lose confidence because they are not living up to their age. Therefore, detecting early puberty in children helps doctors to provide timely treatment, on the other hand can curb the emotional and social stress that children may face in early adulthood. .
1. What is precocious puberty?
Precocious puberty is when a child's body begins to change into an adult too soon. The diagnosis of precocious puberty is assessed when puberty begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys. Puberty involves rapid bone and muscle growth, changes in body shape, size, and fertility.
The cause of precocious puberty is often difficult to determine. Occasionally, certain circumstances can cause identifiable precocious puberty, such as an infection, hormone disorder, tumor, or brain injury. Accordingly, treatment of precocious puberty is usually medical treatment to delay the child's physical development.
Dậy thì sớm ảnh hưởng đến tâm sinh lý của trẻ
2. How does early puberty affect children?
Early development can make babies initially taller when compared to their peers. When puberty ends, height growth stops. Because the skeleton matures and bone growth stops at an earlier age than normal, children with precocious puberty, if left untreated, will have a hard time reaching their normal height.
In addition, early puberty can also be difficult for children emotionally and socially. They make girls feel shy, ashamed because they feel different from their peers, teased by their peers for having large breasts, and becoming older than their peers.
Even emotions and behavior can change in children with precocious puberty. Girls can become moody and irritable. Boys can also become more aggressive and may develop a sexual orientation that is not appropriate for the child's age.
3. How is precocious puberty diagnosed?
Diagnosis of precocious puberty is based on the following symptoms:
Breast growth and first menstrual cycle in girls. Enlarged testicles and penis, facial hair and deep voice in boys. Having pubic or armpit hair Rapid growth Acne appearance Adult body odor
Tăng trưởng vú nhanh báo hiệu dậy thì sớm ở trẻ
4. Role of subclinical in the diagnosis of early puberty
To diagnose precocious puberty, the doctor may order some tests, imaging tests as follows:
Blood tests to look for high levels of sex hormones. X-rays of the bones of the hand can show whether the bones are maturing too soon. Mammography helps to assess the maturity of breast tissue objectively. Uterine - ovary ultrasound helps determine the size of the uterus - ovaries, the number of follicles, whether there are dominant follicles, if there are abnormal tumors or not. Testicular ultrasound identifies testicular size and abnormal tumors. Abdominal ultrasound looks for tumors that secrete sex hormones such as adrenal tumors, liver tumors, ...
Hình minh họa: Siêu âm tử cung buồng trứng ở một bé gái 8 tuổi bị dậy thì sớm.
Sometimes, an MRI is done to rule out rare causes of precocious puberty, such as a tumor in the brain, ovaries, or testicles.
Early detection and diagnosis are very important, helping doctors to treat early. This will help them maintain their potential height and limit the emotional and social stress they may face as an early adult.
The early puberty screening package being implemented at Vinmec International General Hospital is the right choice of parents to have accurate conclusions about the health status and development of their children. Your baby will be examined with a leading specialist in Pediatric Endocrinology, will have sex hormone blood tests, bone age assessment tests, brain MRI scans or some more specialized tests to determine the right diagnosis. causes of precocious puberty and timely intervention.
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