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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old
6 S$ a( @% A+ Z9 Q6 j6 l6 VBoy Induced by Indirect Topical+ Y9 R# I3 G3 R* j+ D x
Exposure to Testosterone
7 g* T* e4 t. @* S6 k8 kSamar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2
4 T& h9 z, |2 ? u/ N0 d' [% h. Zand Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1! e2 H+ n$ ~4 H/ I! ~ Z) [ S
Clinical Pediatrics. R# C7 N' f$ A0 s5 n; Q
Volume 46 Number 6
4 `) B1 I9 \0 @8 B4 G, R3 tJuly 2007 540-543" ?4 w1 o4 F" v3 h3 u0 d5 |
© 2007 Sage Publications
, d) _, N8 {% `3 I% j+ E: x3 s10.1177/0009922806296651
; Y6 D/ e+ b* D! h$ n# ?" Ghttp://clp.sagepub.com* s) }' [7 x4 f3 p& f- _ Q
hosted at
& K+ ]3 _# `& A$ _- z: @/ u9 n+ ]7 W- chttp://online.sagepub.com1 E. k, v, o- b1 i2 L" q1 {
Precocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,
, W% E( C$ d% T/ Y2 B# Gis a significant concern for physicians. Central
9 M5 P q) s+ X) ~) q. j7 Gprecocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated; {( H' }: u w& G
through the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has9 }& s) M3 {% q* O$ F
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system( g- K) w: Z) a
lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested
: k* K' T5 t3 R# |* Jby enlargement of the penis, development of pubic
+ H% k1 `! e' s: L1 E' v# uhair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-
/ H+ ]# w, M- G4 M/ bcles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
+ _% k4 B' v7 Y' m' {$ Ereport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the
' t7 K* J; Y, ]& `+ n f/ _enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-
! ?8 i! l3 D7 S4 ^3 y, ~1 Bment without testicular enlargement, which was due
9 T7 n* [8 D+ c3 i/ T# Hto the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
, V* ]7 B- N1 q! bthe father. The family initially concealed this infor-
4 e: n" L$ \7 X+ T# D7 ~mation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this0 j- f( G9 L! v. P5 l7 J/ w3 n
child. Given the widespread and easy availability of
: `' [7 w6 ~- S, D( W0 Ntestosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-# h% @9 N4 E; c, y ]+ B& s5 V: ~
bly more common than the rare case report in the1 X( @1 ]# W7 @! y% A4 `% x$ ?! _
literature.4: v8 g6 a+ s0 Y; |3 ^2 C7 V$ s
Patient Report
; f0 @8 D" w. o& s1 Z* g, @A 16-month-old white child was referred to the
2 M$ T! v, E2 c; {2 G0 ]/ aendocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern. X5 Q# Q! Z, d3 s5 M
of early sexual development. His mother noticed
/ Q! V E5 Q G; Wlight colored pubic hair development when he was- C% I+ ]8 K/ u# F# X
From the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of
" k. J3 q- u* A* D/ F x* zSouth Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.
: t8 A, R0 l. y5 U7 e# T" M* qAddress correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,
1 y9 w# Z: g+ E) SProfessor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of2 i% H) M7 d. n# i5 v' Q" v
Medicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;1 A- M) b, [4 J
e-mail: [email protected].
+ K: Q. T) W) a: f9 {' Y% ?& Rabout 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became- b* v- a2 @8 J. a
darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-; k( @' z& k$ M5 o
ment of his penis and frequent erections. The child
1 a* k' j9 R; Y0 zwas the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
+ h( m% m0 R6 Z8 `6 f. o, L3 ?+ L {a birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of
/ O+ Z" T! m0 I R8 U/ \20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year
4 U0 ^5 w: N' U3 U2 V5 Tof life and was still receiving breast milk along with
; F3 m- |9 X# `4 S1 m: `solid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
/ o- w; Q5 }1 `and his psychosocial and psychomotor development% a$ Q( c4 |5 x x! o7 ~
was age appropriate.
9 K6 K" z5 i3 \. `The family history was remarkable for the father,4 r/ A- b2 N( l6 P1 Z$ q. b9 `* v; A
who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,
+ m3 F; U* B1 ?& ewhich was treated with thyroxine. The father’s& | U9 a5 R3 p) x4 B6 Y# n
height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
9 K" C" I. T( r( Jearly puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.
0 f9 k- Y1 C( m8 \5 p9 V+ B2 {The father denied taking any other medication. The! F8 ^& }% a- i+ j* B$ ~9 K7 I
child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche6 l$ i* G/ A, u7 Y1 c/ v3 X; D0 m
was at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet& O. H) h S* f8 m# b3 P
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-: Q; N% l2 H& t
cocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-
# E B+ S' }! n2 {3 f1 ttives. There were no siblings.% Z; Y* p0 s) k
Physical Examination
0 W2 A3 d# z4 ]& wThe physical examination revealed a very active,
9 {; m* |" q) B) ~6 r% S( l' \playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented
! @, Q( g% X' M- g4 A( Ua blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
I1 s5 w; ^) q6 K90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg
^6 q+ d& h$ _(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth
8 Y" h- t+ f0 l2 j6 P8 `velocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of
J+ ^! u5 K8 h9 Nthe neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.
3 X/ Q1 H4 V* eThe genitourinary examination was remarkable for0 U2 J& R9 ^! W* [$ \) m
enlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of
$ e* F7 Z& }8 [0 N5 t8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well. E3 h5 @; d( E5 C2 Z3 l
developed. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around
. V1 G! w; F, h. O( P540
! q0 i& S9 `6 t, g# e% Cat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
' m1 u3 J7 y: @/ G& w- v# cthe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The* U5 I) |7 i9 O' ~8 C
testicular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.
3 |1 E: j5 q/ ]The skin was moist and smooth and somewhat* W2 d- F, ^* X, Z4 D
oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
4 e7 |- [5 g+ s8 xabnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.9 `4 W4 z8 }' S' X- K S
Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+
0 ?) u( w+ Y! r5 Vbilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion
: ?/ S& [+ `' x, \of papilledema.2 s+ Q, n+ D! j7 R; Z
Laboratory Evaluation. X7 ? [- S1 a; ^2 S" B
The bone age was consistent with 28 months by
5 l8 I9 `6 z4 K, s$ ~" f- E7 Uusing the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-
& u) Q5 U. @8 N8 v0 Nlogic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal1 ] T0 ?* R* w8 L
karyotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test
' v1 y* g" y' Z! y. D; Rshowed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-
- l+ A: D: J! S. F/ \4 \1 _* C* alating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal)., @; S/ O( |1 E5 r" |' B) Y7 h9 ?+ P
The concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood" z4 q2 x. N( f+ {- H8 @
urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
" i3 l& J+ n8 V* n7 @ bwithin normal range for his age. The concentration% Y1 a* Q: h N8 B9 e
of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL' `( i5 g U6 @* g$ Y
(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20+ @1 r, Z+ X# I- V! N% p {5 }' H
ng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-7 ~# Z2 Z. N: O3 `
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),5 A; N. G+ `+ k( r% W4 h: f) p( V7 J
desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
& x* m9 j& t( Z0 W( i( F0 ~$ p49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)" J K3 R0 J4 m. M; X8 F
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-7 }2 m* y: y; v5 ?, o; B# G. B
tisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total4 a# Y: N! w8 {6 r8 [ m' u
testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),* \( c9 a, j b4 s* F( y
and β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than7 K; E9 ?" ?! W M( O1 ?0 ]
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular; y ~% v, k3 W& m5 ?
stimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone
- h& G9 l+ i# Bconcentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL# g1 _, ]9 A+ F2 S. J3 ~ g
(prepubertal).
) I- _6 T* c+ ^6 FThe parents were notified about the laboratory
, o6 ~5 {( N0 o y; G; f {9 Gresults and were informed that all of the tests were
, {9 s& i( y4 s* I: { Nnormal except the testosterone level was high. The
# Z7 @+ m; B. j# t* Xfollow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to
& z$ @. S/ m, r9 ~' Uobtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-3 e, R% @4 |5 _+ {! M
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.
I" O9 l6 _2 f8 [; oPhysical examination at this time revealed that the
: `/ X A/ s, j6 v; R8 r8 Y( Wchild had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained3 d0 m9 x" I; J0 }! G' R* ]* v/ }* Z
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
( H1 j' Z U# s; O5 Eunchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-
, P/ S' k* {3 ?pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at
) ~: y* S; t* p; R5 Zthe base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2( t( B& l2 h+ r2 u$ J
mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.
# `7 B: C2 _/ r9 IThe mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-5 a- }0 F/ N4 Y6 x% @2 c
ing frequent erections.* N2 @" y8 b3 n# Z% z. B7 A7 O8 d
Both parents were again questioned about use of! C* v$ p3 A- ]* I0 v7 ~
any ointment/creams that they may have applied to
/ H. S8 o+ P1 L; T" m0 D$ Cthe child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
& E$ ]9 @- \$ ~: c q3 p7 @Topical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 5418 O. f! t1 q: u" T+ q5 C
use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-' L& O( U0 w& i8 P; G H- W
ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for0 K+ Y2 a! c0 V9 V6 C( M6 A+ m* Y
a year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed& ~4 @7 r5 V; a) t6 f C
to disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-
8 E0 h6 s5 A- H4 x5 M$ dscribed by his family physician for decreased libido+ @/ t0 b9 p, I9 m+ d& P
secondary to depression.1 l' B5 E# O3 k- V( V2 \
The child slept in the same bed with parents.
; |9 q0 A' o& n* d7 e+ qThe father would hug the baby and hold him on his" j5 y [3 u7 m+ p1 C, P) h
chest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-
. G- }& Y' h( p% [0 L8 h5 cnificant bare skin contact between baby and father.# {: G. D5 s" S1 `4 x% p/ B7 m
The father also admitted that after the phone call,
0 [; J' u/ o( g/ s; fwhen he learned the testosterone level in the baby
& U' b) @$ M. ~9 zwas high, he then read the product information
5 ^" {# F C# a+ i+ ^8 s/ Cpacket and concluded that it was most likely the rea-5 k) E% E8 y; `8 V: f7 d, K
son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they1 a g2 S0 M2 p/ W% b3 E( e
decided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
0 @# F& ~8 ~ d' p1 Q$ o7 Bfather was not hugging him with bare skin and had
2 u A6 {, b' I' u- `been using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone
. T2 w! j! u9 [test was ordered, but the family did not go to the
! _+ |; |/ ]6 w' Y' z3 Jlaboratory to obtain the test." o' @5 N' R; e
Discussion
9 `) }$ d# P, O# Y% S9 g% _% B4 VPrecocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary7 ^3 g% j0 d) H. u- y4 h& }3 `# [
sexual development before 9 years of age.1,4; P4 o7 f0 k R$ x$ I
Precocious puberty is termed as central (true) when
1 p& M) |' z, w( e+ Iit is caused by the premature activation of hypo-
3 t( b1 w( k# ?9 Y, Z' c0 b' Fthalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
' `# d( }4 _& s a' H2 u* y- `5 }" imon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP2 d+ ?1 Z. F. T5 z! D, J
may have a central nervous system lesion that is
^3 {, q& V5 q7 h- N# Kresponsible for the early activation of the hypothal-* W" n2 k0 q- y9 S+ J
amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-
- L& p7 J) r4 e3 e R. t6 R1 L$ rsis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in; N; b+ x2 y/ C) @9 [
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-
5 F' E6 K% J3 X2 D3 Kization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-4 L2 A+ j7 y+ _
rical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by6 F6 W/ w- X( Z1 i( A# b
gonadotropins.1,3
& J8 k7 `' j6 d% J2 ]; bGonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-
$ j ^* b+ }; F& _cious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate1 d. X1 L' V+ `$ ]0 j& Y
androgenic stimulation from either endogenous or
$ ~3 n; K1 P1 u/ X# t& `- |; H3 @8 Nexogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-
8 t- v6 m8 f; W' Z8 I, S( _ulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing
9 D/ d) u1 f; t6 Q6 Kcongenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive
% H* t0 J( I/ {! y5 fadrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
8 J6 Y# n4 N, L1 m3 O( Ppuberty in boys.3,4 m+ p+ z( _. Y
The most common form of congenital adrenal
9 m e) F8 E" J; s; I% Fhyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.
& q$ N. J' \+ ^# a0 @4 gThe 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in
8 m, Y& X' L4 W* Y, Fexcessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,
3 k' A: v6 {% L& M) Ian adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
# }, z8 T5 w& Z1 R, o" |0 }4 ~) e' [excess.1,3
2 b: U- A1 `( W; e0 _& R" i. Z, Tat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from9 N1 i% `+ ^, Q# N8 }; N
542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
+ i" x( D1 O a' j9 C m& K, j7 GA unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-" N o2 h9 a/ h1 j* S* ^
independent precocious puberty, which is also known
! s2 x& ]! A' g4 c) M9 das testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a" G/ Y1 O( ]4 Z. H1 B. w- r9 y! A: u
very young age. The physical findings in these boys3 U, {# d; ^: s# h
with this disorder are full pubertal development,
$ E, E" h! R( Wincluding bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys
6 N) p& R/ f! l) c% h: {5 }with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder
$ b! M+ o& O4 t, t8 sare suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show
" n9 X- ^3 n4 j( W. Opubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-
2 i* p* D6 l+ v& C! xreleasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked
. l) o" r- q9 B' a$ V( wautosomal dominant disorder that affects only
. B% R5 n/ ~/ G1 ?4 Ymales; therefore, other male members of the family
N( x5 Z! ]# q2 s4 ^9 o8 jmay have similar precocious puberty.3
9 Z5 I8 b x/ F/ m5 WIn our patient, physical examination was incon-
; d5 E" U3 I9 D) l: Osistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-5 `5 i! z$ z, s
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis
1 q0 R7 {: a1 Y: J, Jwas in the differential diagnosis because his father
( l& i3 N! {% c5 @3 r7 y8 e8 v& @9 }9 \started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,5 G& s! f. Q; U
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the8 c$ i/ I8 d; v, G# g, L
beginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-) ^# U- V- G" v( u+ u9 A
ative initial history of androgen exposure, our! P0 p; v: Y! S
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,
- B& H+ ~7 r. M1 leither 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase7 d2 i# \. @ s3 Y
deficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-
: U/ F; g! F' ^( M6 ~! Bing the normal level of adrenal steroids. l& ^' ^9 o3 K/ Y' f, k3 ]: p, y
The diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly3 A7 C2 e, @4 F. }- c4 \: A
suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because
: B- Z2 j8 H. J) p9 R; Tthe physical examination revealed the complete disap-
2 O9 o' p* t9 {/ U- y. [* B4 Spearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and1 m7 R) c0 Z9 U0 m& d( }! A4 q! F+ l
decreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-. U o+ Z' B2 H* B5 B* t( ]
terone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was
0 d4 X' V2 ?! Cusing it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’
) {6 ?* D! ^9 T' Z0 PDesk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or
* U- w+ V! Y/ M6 K& f0 |1 q- n. R) m. kcream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
) I$ a: m; u" E1 J. q2 S5 `8 tunprotected females through direct skin exposure.5 z5 U* Z2 e4 P7 ?' C9 E
Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the
* X2 H# K9 v8 g! f) ~+ [* Jbaseline value in those females who were exposed to
. t/ H3 Y# e% L$ Y/ _+ Ueven 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male
7 R" [( \: U# C" u J3 I& T0 E/ opartners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-% P9 x" f- M6 [, R, N) D! o
tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.* f, K: w, @3 J4 K8 i
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,
s- p% s, k% `1 a' ]( M( L" Z' N& Awhich was clearly high. Some studies suggest that
# m6 f2 O" J+ `( p5 `9 D' ydermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-
m1 U9 B; H( \, R3 @terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more
) y. ^; @9 U3 Yactive in young children exposed to testosterone
2 u% e/ G2 I; R; O/ o# Kexogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy- g% v: a% K4 e4 y7 V# L
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to' B- t: M' W4 W3 u: |( s" q1 l
virilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in: o( U6 G5 \9 x: e% A
children results in an increase in growth velocity and
8 O# C# x! j" m3 W, t' D) J1 Hadvanced bone age, as seen in our patient.% N+ s3 I+ D: B; j' w8 K8 e, T' o/ h
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during
# V' H' f* ~; k \& K! Gearly childhood on pubertal development and final
& o0 g# O0 R0 `" ?4 a3 T; fadult height are not fully known and always remain
* B3 T* K- {! ?6 `a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-
' F; r7 F/ e- t' D, B4 Qterone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some
% u) ^, r5 p2 ~acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after
( R5 J- {; e- G! j3 Vcessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation! _; C1 C/ v' b
decelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,9
. }. r5 V, e) S: DThere are conflicting reports and controversy+ s2 h) \+ a: [! P+ e3 q }4 g8 p
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult
8 j6 C. c. {( Z4 R& ~+ |8 |. y8 @, c$ Gpenile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal
( j4 E: ?4 B4 b# gadult penile length, apparently because of downreg-! N( ]! X; I* g$ A+ d/ c+ ^
ulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,6 S5 a; z" @: u. u. G8 I1 H
Sutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between9 W; R0 r8 j" t6 P( x
childhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult
; c- L4 d0 G9 x* lpenile length in clinical studies.
& ?: q7 T3 p3 y% S. C) {Nonetheless, we do not believe our patient is8 `7 h$ o& @ u% Y: A- @7 N6 h3 G O
going to experience any of the untoward effects from
" [# p; i) |) c/ Rtestosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because; L$ k' X- ~9 l [" R$ h$ v9 ?" r
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.' C) _$ N5 w6 u, u
Although the bone age was advanced at the time of
6 k& q; Z2 C. b# ^0 V7 S% ^& Mdiagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at
. v/ V& n1 I& S9 f ?; zthe follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult B$ O u9 I5 o$ D% p
height will not be affected.
" X) t+ K+ {* o; H# y' eAlthough rarely reported, the widespread avail-
& b; S. N$ [6 _' q9 k, k' Vability of androgen products in our society may
6 r0 `. N, E y( ^2 q, mindeed cause more virilization in male or female
( \* O' C* ^# Z8 ~% A3 L6 _children than one would realize. Exposure to andro-& x: A, z; R# \. B
gen products must be considered and specific ques-
- r; b6 V) s) ^$ h% Ttioning about the use of a testosterone product or
/ ~& S8 O7 {* M F% w* u0 Fgel should be asked of the family members during0 L W* c- e# O1 ^0 e( q/ H. y1 w
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-: K4 Z+ K+ ~' v% A ^: j2 }+ K
ilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-
3 N3 O4 O8 B# o2 t2 `' V! E4 bnosis can be established by just a few tests and by# O9 L( B% n9 V3 h: Y
appropriate history. The inability to obtain such a2 Y% Q/ q( o' M- Y) {! i, s1 S+ d V
history, or failure to ask the specific questions, may
! E% {2 M6 }) F6 \% ]result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive
' M7 ^5 ?0 ^! A) O- M; H# v5 g) ^investigation. The primary care physician should be
; l+ W) M& Y& h2 Daware of this fact, because most of these children) X, k# ~3 w' i, {, {8 |# Q2 G& J9 K
may initially present in their practice. The Physicians’# `1 `, p4 ^$ B$ u1 U% V
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a% |: Q6 C# A% V, j6 F
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or) N; Q# H" F1 X: r$ D* x$ W
female child who might come in contact with some-
3 V; o& F- _2 [: E; R0 l) i7 ?2 kone using any of these products.
1 ]" ~) r; f+ |: \1 z+ \* B( TReferences
M8 i6 [/ U% V. V6 m3 \' a! y* `1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation7 F! a4 M. }* c
and puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric
$ ?8 V2 x; D. Z9 ]$ |% a0 S5 XEndocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;
2 V9 a" {1 K7 q7 {+ N% X8 p1 H2002: 565-628.
% n% \- ]2 F7 ], I2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious; l( X2 D+ {- F5 u' t8 C- B4 ?
puberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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