The anticipation of puberty, seen for several decades, has gained strength during the Covid19 pandemic as precocity increased.
The phenomenon observed in the practices of pediatricians and endocrinologists around the world also fascinated the doctors at the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome, who decided to dispel the doubt by comparing the data with the year before Covid.
Findings: Cases have more than doubled in a year, going from 118 in 2019 to 246 in 2020 at that service’s endocrinology division. Although preliminary, the Italian study reinforces a general impression among professionals.
The onset of sexual maturity is known to be related to genetic and environmental factors. Parents’ puberty age, fetal development and even factors such as obesity affect this moment. In girls, the first signs are the appearance of the breast bud the ball under the areola and a slight increase in breast volume.
In about 15% of them, the first manifestation is the appearance of pubic hair. In boys, the first sign is the enlargement of the testicles, which is usually followed by the growth of the penis and the appearance of pubic hair after about 6 months.
It is considered precocious, that is, before the expected time, if these changes occur before the age of 8 in them and before the age of 9 in the young.
bad consequences
Prematurely entering this phase of maturity can have both physical and psychological negative consequences for the child. This is because it speeds up the closing of the epiphyseal cartilages, the part of the bone responsible for growth, limiting this teenager’s eventual height. In the long term, it can also increase your risk of breast cancer, for example.
“Not to mention emotional problems, because often the child is not ready to deal with these changes,” says pediatrician Debora Kalman of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein. For girls, for example, dealing with the onset of menstruation and all its symptoms is one of the problems of early puberty.
In recent years, it has been speculated that increases in obesity and exposure to certain products have accelerated this process. Substances found in plastics such as BPA and phthalates can act as endocrine disruptors alongside pesticides and trigger hormonal changes.
However, scientists still don’t know exactly why the pandemic should have accelerated this process even further. But they have some clues. It is known that children gained more weight, became more sedentary and were more exposed to screens. In addition to promoting physical inactivity, the use of electronics also affects the melatonin cycle, which is also associated with the anticipation of puberty.
“There is no single cause, what we have are associations, a combination of factors,” says Débora.
Parents and guardians need to be aware of the physical changes in their children. The presence of breast buds and increased volume of the testicles are the biggest warnings, and in these cases it is worth seeing a doctor. “Treatment has to be individualized. A global assessment of the growth channel, bone age, hormones and emotional maturity is necessary to decide in which cases we can observe or in which hormonal blockade is required to interrupt this process,” explains the doctor.
Hormone blockade with intramuscular injections is performed monthly when indicated, and treatment should be followed by a pediatric endocrinologist to assess response and duration of treatment.