There is nothing good in situations where the child is significantly behind in development. But premature growth cannot be considered something natural and normal, since it can cause a considerable number of unpleasant consequences.
Consider this topic in more detail and find out why pathology can occur, what symptoms it is accompanied by, how it is diagnosed and whether there are effective ways to get rid of the problem. Special attention will be paid to the psychological aspect: the feelings of a child who develops faster than peers.
Puberty and its norms
It’s worth starting with the fact that puberty is considered to be a combination of physiological and hormonal changes in the body, as a result of which a person becomes ready for reproduction (reaches puberty).
In boys, this occurs between 10 and 20 years. Girls grow up a little earlier - their puberty occurs in the time period from 8 to 17 years. It is these indicators that are considered to be the norm.
But there are situations during which premature puberty of the child begins. And in this case, it is worth paying attention to the problem in a timely manner and taking all necessary measures.
What is considered to be premature ripening
Premature puberty is a process during which a child grows up until the age of eight for girls or ten years for boys. Its main feature is the early appearance of secondary sexual characteristics, although the general symptomatology includes much more phenomena. We will consider the main ones a bit later.
Classification of anomalies
What types can be divided into premature puberty? Classification may depend on many factors.
Based on the cause of the occurrence, it can be:
- true (the appearance is associated with premature activation of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland);
- false (the appearance is associated with excessive secretion of sex hormones by the ovaries or adrenal glands, as well as other factors).
In addition, there is isosexual and heterosexual premature puberty.
The isosexual type is inherent in:
- mental retardation;
- various pathological reflexes ;
- emotional instability;
- cerebral hypertension.
The heterosexual type of abnormality can be triggered by malfunctioning of the adrenal glands.
Causes of pathology
It is worthwhile to dwell on the question of why premature puberty begins. The causes are usually divided into two groups: central and peripheral.
The central ones include:
- previous infectious diseases associated with the brain (meningitis, encephalitis);
- radiation, trauma or swelling of the spinal cord or brain;
- improper production of hormones by the adrenal glands (congenital hyperplasia);
- a disease that provokes hormonal disorders, and also affects bones and skin pigmentation (McCune-Albright syndrome) ;
- ischemia;
- insufficient production of hormones by the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism);
- the presence of congenital pathology of the brain.
The peripheral causes of the occurrence of a phenomenon such as premature puberty in a girl or boy are associated with excessive release of testosterone and estrogen into the blood. This happens as a result of violations of the adrenal glands, ovaries or the pituitary gland.
Despite the fact that the factors provoking premature puberty are not so small, often doctors can not determine the exact cause of its appearance. The only thing that is known for sure is that the anomaly is a hormonal disorder, so you should immediately seek help from specialists.
Common symptoms of the disease
Signs of premature puberty in boys and girls will vary. Common symptoms in children of any gender:
- growth acceleration;
- headache;
- bulimia (gluttony);
- weight gain;
- changes in body odor;
- pubic and axillary hair growth;
- fast fatiguability.
In addition, the high probability of the appearance of acne in a child is not ruled out.
Symptoms of the disease in girls
Premature puberty in a girl is accompanied by:
- early development of secondary sexual characteristics;
- the establishment of menstrual function.
Thus, in girls under 10 years of age, the first menstruation begins, the mammary glands enlarge, hair appears under the arms and on the pubis. At the same time, all signs may be present simultaneously, as well as their part.
Symptoms of the disease in boys
Premature puberty in boys is accompanied by:
- early development of secondary sexual characteristics;
- acceleration of differentiation of skeleton bones;
- early stopping the growth process and, as a result, the formation of stunting.
It often happens that in young men, the size of the testicles and penis increases ahead of time, therefore already in childhood they reach the “adult” size.
Every third boy begins to have premature hair growth over his lip.
What is the danger of the disease?
Premature puberty syndrome is a dangerous phenomenon for the body, which carries unpleasant consequences.
First of all, growth disorders can be noted. At the beginning of the growing period, children grow very quickly and become much higher than their peers. But soon this process stops and in the end they may be lower than their peers.
For girls, the pathology is dangerous by the occurrence of polycystic ovaries and hormonal disorders in the future. This threatens irregular menstruation, an increase in the level of androgen, the appearance of cysts and the inability to freely exit the egg.
Diagnosis of the disease
Which doctor should I contact if there is a suspicion that the child may have a developmental pathology that we are considering? A child ’s endocrinologist deals with such issues . During the diagnosis, he will study the medical history, give direction to some tests, and based on their results, he will be able to determine the presence of a problem.
A physiological examination of the child is mandatory. Its purpose is to identify signs of premature growth: acne, enlargement of the mammary glands in girls and the penis, as well as in the testes in boys, the appearance of pubic hair and armpits, rapid growth, the presence of the first menstruation and so on.
Additionally, an x-ray examination of the wrists and palms of the patient. This process will allow the doctor to determine the age of the bones and get an answer to an important question: do they develop within normal limits or at an accelerated pace?
The above methods allow you to establish a preliminary (initial) diagnosis. Next, you need to specify the disease and identify the cause of its occurrence. To do this, the child is injected with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone and blood is taken for analysis. With the peripheral type of anomaly, the levels of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones will be within the normal age range. If premature puberty of the central type, the amount of the above hormones will be increased. In this case, there is a need for another examination - an MRI of the brain. It will allow to identify possible anomalies. Additionally, an examination of the thyroid gland is necessary to exclude possible hypothyroidism. In some situations, you may also need an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs, the purpose of which is to identify tumors or ovarian cysts.
Treatment for premature puberty
The choice of the necessary treatment method depends primarily on the cause of the disease.
If the occurrence of the problem was provoked by the presence of a tumor, therapy is directed to its elimination. In this case, surgical intervention is provided that will help get rid of the "culprit" of hormonal failure.
In situations where the exact cause of the problem has not been identified, the child may be prescribed medications. It can be an antagonist of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone, for example, leuprolide, which will help stop the axis of growth of human pituitary gonadotropin (GHG) and slow down subsequent development. The drug is injected into the body every month, and treatment continues until normal puberty is reached. At the end of the course of treatment, the development of the child continues according to established standards.
Special attention at this moment should be given to the diet. During premature puberty in children, a significant increase in appetite is usually observed, or rather, an almost constant feeling of hunger. Therefore, you should limit the number of meals and avoid overeating. Otherwise, one more problem will be added to the arisen problem - obesity. In addition, it is worth avoiding foods containing testosterone and estrogen (sex hormones), since their level in the body is already significantly increased.
Another important point that parents need to know is the existence of premature growth, which begins and occurs only partially. For example, a girl’s breast may swell, and a boy’s testicles, but soon this process will stop or will not be accompanied by other signs of the disease. In this case, no special measures need to be taken, because full puberty will begin on time.
Adaptation of the child to the process of premature puberty
It is worth paying special attention not only to the symptoms and methods of treating the disease, but also to the feelings of the child at the time of premature puberty. The fact is that in such a situation he understands that he is significantly different from his peers. This is primarily due to the early appearance of secondary sexual characteristics.
This situation can cause emotional trauma, lower self-esteem and even the occurrence of depression. Much depends on the care of the parents. It is important to remember: if the child is not able to independently deal with his experiences, he needs the qualified help of a specialist (psychotherapist).