There is nothing good in situations where the child is significantly behind in development. But premature growing up cannot be considered something natural and normal, as it can cause a considerable number of unpleasant consequences.
Let's consider this topic in more detail and find out why pathology can occur, what symptoms it accompanies, 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 their peers.
Puberty and its norms
It's worth starting with the fact that puberty is considered to be a set of processes 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 of age. Girls, on the other hand, mature a little earlier - their puberty falls on the time periodfrom 8 to 17 years old. 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
Precocious puberty is the process during which a child's adulthood begins before the age of eight in girls or ten years of age in boys. Its main feature is the early appearance of secondary sexual characteristics, although the general symptoms include much more phenomena. We will consider the main ones a little later.
Anomaly classification
What types can precocious puberty be divided into? Classification may depend on many factors.
Based on the cause of 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).
Also, there is isosexual and heterosexual precocious puberty.
Isosexual type inherent:
- mental retardation;
- various pathological reflexes;
- emotional instability;
- cerebral hypertension.
Heterosexual type of anomaly can betriggered by a malfunction of the adrenal glands.
Causes of pathology
It is worth dwelling on the question of why precocious puberty begins. The causes are usually divided into two groups: central and peripheral.
The central ones are:
- previous infectious diseases associated with the brain (meningitis, encephalitis);
- irradiation, trauma or tumor of the spinal cord or brain;
- incorrect production of hormones by the adrenal glands (congenital hyperplasia);
- a disease that causes hormonal imbalances and also affects bones and skin pigmentation (McCune-Albright syndrome);
- ischemia;
- underproduction of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism);
- presence of congenital pathology of the brain.
Peripheral causes of such a phenomenon as premature puberty in a girl or boy are associated with an excessive release of testosterone and estrogen into the blood. This happens as a result of violations of the adrenal glands, ovaries or pituitary gland.
Despite the fact that there are not so few factors that provoke premature puberty, often doctors cannot determine the exact cause of its occurrence. The only thing that is known for sure is that the anomaly is a hormonal disorder, so you should immediately seek help from specialists.
General symptoms of the disease
Signs of precocious pubertymaturation in boys and girls will differ. Common symptoms in children of either sex:
- growth acceleration;
- headaches;
- bulimia (gluttony);
- weight gain;
- changes in body odor;
- pubic and axillary hair growth;
- quick fatigue.
In addition, a high probability of acne in a child cannot be ruled out.
Symptoms of the disease in girls
Precocious puberty in a girl is accompanied by:
- early development of secondary sexual characteristics;
- establishing menstrual function.
Thus, in girls under 10 years of age, the first menstruation begins, the mammary glands increase, hair appears under the arms and on the pubis. In this case, both all signs can be present at the same time, or part of them.
Symptomatic of the disease in boys
Precocious puberty in boys is accompanied by:
- early development of secondary sexual characteristics;
- acceleration of skeletal bone differentiation;
- an early stop of the growth process and, as a result, the formation of short stature.
It often happens that in young men the size of the testicles and penis increases prematurely, so they reach an "adult" size already in childhood.
One in three boys develop premature hair growth above the lip.
What is the danger of the disease?
Syndromepremature puberty is a dangerous phenomenon for the body, which carries with it unpleasant consequences.
First of all, growth disorders can be noted. At the beginning of the period of growing up, children grow very quickly and become much taller than their peers. But soon this process stops and in the end they may be lower than their peers.
For girls, pathology is dangerous for the occurrence of polycystic ovaries and hormonal disorders in the future. This threatens irregular menstruation, increased androgen levels, the appearance of cysts and the impossibility of an unhindered release of the egg.
Diagnosis of disease
Which doctor should I contact if I suspect that the child may have the developmental pathology we are considering? A pediatric endocrinologist deals with similar issues. During the diagnosis, he will study the medical history, give directions for some tests, and based on their results, he will be able to determine the presence of a problem.
Physiological examination of the child is mandatory. Its purpose is to detect signs of premature aging: acne, enlargement of the mammary glands in girls and the penis, as well as testicles in boys, the appearance of pubic and armpit hair, rapid growth, the presence of the first menstruation, and so on.
Additionally, an X-ray examination of the patient's wrists and hands is performed. This process will allow the doctor to determine the age of the bones andget an answer to an important question: are they developing within the normal range 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 given an injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and blood is taken for analysis. With a peripheral type of anomaly, the levels of follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones will be within the normal age range. If precocious puberty is 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 help identify possible anomalies. Additionally, a thyroid examination is necessary to rule out 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.
Precocious puberty treatment
The choice of the necessary method of treatment depends primarily on the cause of the disease.
If the problem was triggered by the presence of a tumor, therapy is aimed at eliminating it. In this case, surgical intervention is provided, which 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 medication. It could be an antagonista gonadotropin-releasing hormone, such as leuprolide, which will help stop the growth axis of human pituitary gonadotropin (HCG) and slow subsequent development. The agent is injected monthly into the body, and treatment continues until the age of normal puberty is reached. At the end of the course of treatment, the development of the child continues according to the established norms.
Special attention at this point should be paid to the diet. During precocious puberty, children usually experience a significant increase in appetite, or to be more precise, an almost constant feeling of hunger. Therefore, it is worth limiting the number of meals and avoid overeating. Otherwise, another problem will be added to the problem - obesity. In addition, products containing testosterone and estrogen (sex hormones) should be avoided, as their levels in the body are already significantly increased.
Another important point that parents need to be aware of is the existence of premature adulthood, which begins and only partially occurs. For example, a girl's breasts 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 onlysymptoms and methods of treatment of the disease, but also the feelings of the child at the time of the onset of precocious 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.
The current situation can cause emotional trauma, low self-esteem and even depression. Much depends on the attention of the parents. It is important to remember: if a child is not able to deal with his feelings on his own, he needs qualified help from a specialist (psychotherapist).
