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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old
9 c# q2 ]: I# @: c+ ? IBoy Induced by Indirect Topical" w3 O% o" {5 m
Exposure to Testosterone
. O9 U) Q3 P3 C! m. N& |( _! }Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,20 K+ a7 g9 x% C: a) v b
and Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1" h7 E3 H. v! M- O% j+ b
Clinical Pediatrics
+ k+ f k" z5 v9 jVolume 46 Number 6
8 D7 X" B y$ X9 w5 b1 nJuly 2007 540-543( L& U' U! E8 p$ |" a8 U. `
© 2007 Sage Publications+ |- r/ q! j" g" |; \, N
10.1177/0009922806296651" K: w8 a7 ~' a- M5 f( y2 U( r
http://clp.sagepub.com
% ~9 ~- h2 m+ V \- Lhosted at
- E. J1 q$ Q" V/ I& }2 Thttp://online.sagepub.com
8 u& x3 R' M0 R! @0 x$ VPrecocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,
9 _: g( t0 x9 g4 {- ?. x% P! ~is a significant concern for physicians. Central! [ k5 L& E- r" m. @6 n
precocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated% }3 l h' `9 e- M \- u1 W& c' v; z
through the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has8 w5 n- s7 a9 X' |# n+ s3 {
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system# C4 K' x' i. g. f! N
lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested
( A- P. n! n; j+ b& `by enlargement of the penis, development of pubic
9 f1 a: O& z' Q" y; ? u1 I" chair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi- L+ {1 v. Y% w9 A. J# a, F) e
cles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
4 [0 i# a8 x6 t5 n3 M" breport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the7 Z) B4 _# I$ N$ v8 z, M Y
enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-
3 i v& h' K2 B" L' iment without testicular enlargement, which was due4 e& T; M; z& [: M- `
to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
9 U) `: q2 ?! D; |* ~: n F- f7 I+ jthe father. The family initially concealed this infor-
9 N/ f J; Q, Q$ [5 \mation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this
" U% U) b" M9 r$ u0 `0 xchild. Given the widespread and easy availability of
! H" B8 Q- r5 Htestosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-
0 b* V, @& l8 hbly more common than the rare case report in the7 v5 b% [6 x* x' g. F6 J, u
literature.4
, g" b3 T4 b+ b' g, D% f7 r0 FPatient Report3 d" C' e8 |# O
A 16-month-old white child was referred to the
& C( f3 L$ B( n$ v# Uendocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern
& x" p& c, l& n4 o& H! I% j/ |of early sexual development. His mother noticed
! _! _! a+ C/ m* y5 C! Qlight colored pubic hair development when he was
9 v0 h$ V- h6 N. F' \! zFrom the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of- v- h$ l& r6 G9 W0 y
South Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.4 C8 [0 j. d- A d
Address correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,
' x0 h( o8 K# V( zProfessor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of
! m: c1 a% s- p+ P& ]Medicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;
/ z: c G% f( Z/ Oe-mail: [email protected].0 ~& o3 V6 l1 Q1 I% F9 d- _$ N: v
about 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became
$ z" o I0 Z$ ?# n& U( K9 j, E2 _% x. ?darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-3 I7 z) ?% l+ n/ \4 t6 w7 E
ment of his penis and frequent erections. The child3 ]* ^- n @: g5 m* x
was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with/ L# t: l; E' N, [. {9 C
a birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of
! u6 s/ w0 N- }20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year- }5 g% Z' s9 L2 w, D2 ^
of life and was still receiving breast milk along with
: z5 d. s+ ^6 {! r! `4 Xsolid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,+ v) K9 y8 v/ e/ c r
and his psychosocial and psychomotor development
9 y% z8 t# O* W: F- uwas age appropriate.
7 T: I6 ?7 X/ g" I, b$ e! ZThe family history was remarkable for the father,
4 p7 o- N8 {5 D7 `0 C! \& Nwho was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,
4 @/ v( a) s3 a" ~, Bwhich was treated with thyroxine. The father’s
) M! N; j( X& s* {# c6 `# {# ?height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat: u6 ], W' ]6 [1 E. q& o
early puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.
3 B( |3 a; [, d/ v; W& _4 j- QThe father denied taking any other medication. The
1 c; T7 t& e7 L }child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche1 R. z9 b; Z4 \
was at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet+ c. c m6 W9 Z' ]4 @
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-
" e* }% W6 x4 t) C, ncocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-
V x6 D9 u$ D' I6 _, i, ? Itives. There were no siblings.5 m9 `+ q/ {7 z8 _( c
Physical Examination+ f4 U# }9 V& R0 ~4 r
The physical examination revealed a very active,
8 Q' n+ f0 v/ C4 r$ }' V% tplayful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented8 P2 a F- `, \) W
a blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
8 H6 t' @% K; G( t" Y6 f0 a3 R% o90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg
8 P) C8 P" e6 Y0 U/ L/ D(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth
7 S0 B$ x" k2 ~: ]velocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of
9 u' ]% n- n% z; U8 i* {the neck revealed no thyroid enlargement. `$ r. e! S/ ~ l: @! D) f+ O
The genitourinary examination was remarkable for+ M/ l0 B6 S. `5 u$ g5 ?( g
enlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of1 g& z/ m) @: H3 Y9 f$ Q
8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well1 S3 c) W1 K0 c, P$ g( f9 k/ V1 x* v
developed. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around
6 q. d5 n3 O( C6 h; S540
% p7 p6 r. t( R" \. g5 d+ K; y: Nat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
$ J! F% H2 B& E: S! T9 ]2 z j: u1 Sthe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The
9 B( h) d: |: u/ F0 ]testicular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.
, s* I9 a9 M. C0 ?% @% cThe skin was moist and smooth and somewhat
; W+ F% }$ E7 k$ m0 _3 woily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
8 p6 e0 ?, I) ~6 Y. Rabnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.% O* C$ p2 I& j0 U6 S
Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+5 S! s e. e; @+ ]% {, I2 ]$ T2 j& v
bilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion
. X, ^' P& Y. W; ]of papilledema.
" \' s7 T: c! ~( k% p, l2 y5 V2 GLaboratory Evaluation
! h6 Z" {5 q% {The bone age was consistent with 28 months by$ u- b3 J8 L- n+ B8 U9 F; C3 A
using the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-. \" b& y* c; V7 k# ?" { O
logic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal
* l+ A! r7 }. n T% gkaryotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test$ k! o2 |% m" \5 Q, t- O
showed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-
) n* {! L0 X. q4 p* Nlating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal)./ t: L5 w- y6 n* G' n
The concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood
3 g5 L/ N* X7 }urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
# u4 c& V4 I! ?; ^% rwithin normal range for his age. The concentration
. a/ M% n* ?/ g5 h: `" ]- Lof serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL5 s/ _/ A. L& u, h$ \- ^ T
(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 202 S) @0 {6 P/ M' d; S( ?
ng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-
6 d8 B$ F- `; g# O* l2 Xterone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),
/ C8 E4 q v& p b6 K" ]. {desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
+ U) g- s4 S/ l- C" u$ A49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)+ g6 d/ V* O9 L. Y7 j( z
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-: [8 P- \ a7 w, n& T: R4 @
tisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total3 ?- M* `4 |1 _8 \ h8 G* c/ @6 _
testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),6 u8 c _9 n. o& V8 }
and β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than& |/ h4 O. p5 h L [3 O
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular
6 r3 k9 E$ Z! n8 s( Rstimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone. W5 N* ]* W# j/ Z4 {. x- o7 c
concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL/ h) b* ?3 w+ q/ C! X. G5 s) D
(prepubertal).7 n W& ^, s! i9 q, }+ }9 h
The parents were notified about the laboratory3 R7 k$ \4 V" H2 s6 a+ o+ W
results and were informed that all of the tests were
. x6 i+ C8 l& ] L) L" t# @normal except the testosterone level was high. The' }- }' R! ~6 t- W
follow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to( |8 @# r0 k) {( N& @% N; g
obtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-* R5 Y, [& g1 ^
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.
* S- j/ ^+ W" }5 {Physical examination at this time revealed that the
& y* |' a' p/ y. [- Uchild had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained- k5 x! R4 u2 Z7 f2 ~
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
4 c5 U2 Q& d/ |8 f0 Y4 e. B* Zunchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-, l( s% p' ^/ e/ I" p- D
pletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at7 E9 Q0 E" `( k: J8 Z8 h; y8 F% z* y
the base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2. s: O# p% S2 e0 R5 @
mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.. h6 f! m" }( C; R8 |+ E
The mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-% `: f- y( S4 z! O! h. _6 n
ing frequent erections.( E! R! i3 D1 x2 F
Both parents were again questioned about use of% G t4 i& f- B1 w% f, @( I
any ointment/creams that they may have applied to
; ]$ d) Q5 G, @! a' B1 {$ z0 m7 f, Sthe child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
! [# O! y! ~) { }Topical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541
4 S9 p9 j* l4 juse of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-
0 j/ g( z; l5 n1 U4 m, O/ u: ving over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for
5 w7 y) u: x7 p# h# ?- Z" `% ja year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed
q% H4 r$ x/ [: a* g& [6 @to disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-# C' y* C4 c; j" J
scribed by his family physician for decreased libido
) f$ J, K9 _- M# m" k$ t x: nsecondary to depression.
, s; P9 Q) ~* H6 S0 G; A$ ?The child slept in the same bed with parents.
4 s1 L1 O/ }6 w g8 I/ s1 A1 K; @+ CThe father would hug the baby and hold him on his
5 Y& D& Q" N1 u; r* P( bchest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-
1 s9 V! I5 U: B$ f; c( ^/ q6 znificant bare skin contact between baby and father.
, X6 p4 }' W% N) n& kThe father also admitted that after the phone call,7 Q! R! [+ s+ z$ ]% u, e
when he learned the testosterone level in the baby% h5 T @$ m7 r! p7 V0 D; [
was high, he then read the product information
6 Z: k5 ^: v8 H& t) M/ Ipacket and concluded that it was most likely the rea-4 ^5 I9 B& F: b* w- v
son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they# V1 P: b0 \% F, K5 ]* A' t, Z4 q) H2 ?
decided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
$ P! e: n' B6 x! a \% m* j4 b. Tfather was not hugging him with bare skin and had
. ^* g+ Y7 J( F1 v" mbeen using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone
! B" ~ Z8 [4 x: k+ |- S- ?0 `test was ordered, but the family did not go to the8 ^4 B$ P2 }& P2 a$ Z0 E
laboratory to obtain the test.
! @: A7 b) F6 `' I9 w3 ADiscussion* T# o# P# V/ \8 D( L! c0 @
Precocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary
' c& u1 k) E9 j3 zsexual development before 9 years of age.1,4
% q- P3 a3 y! F- F3 }: S. z5 u6 P$ nPrecocious puberty is termed as central (true) when( x' s- P& ~$ \1 V; _; s
it is caused by the premature activation of hypo-
" ]: J6 N+ H1 d gthalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
8 P3 L. r0 r$ U, ^* ^mon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP" {6 X" }* m- @) Q6 f
may have a central nervous system lesion that is
: `' H9 F8 i5 hresponsible for the early activation of the hypothal-
; Y) a1 A" _. z: E1 Ramic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-" q( s. E( J: @) d- C
sis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in, K e% Y$ o2 U: c0 g. Q9 ~% N
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-
& B r/ h. t' Aization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-
4 q3 p0 I# V( x3 r/ L, Prical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by2 L% u* d# j- K; Q" L; C, _* ^) U+ h6 Y
gonadotropins.1,3
4 ^' S4 {# b" k2 s& HGonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-
1 W0 C* B9 q$ ]# ncious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate
# p( B0 I9 L( ]( tandrogenic stimulation from either endogenous or' U: o$ a d/ ?
exogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-
- v6 M& \' d$ ]/ kulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing, p! Y9 `+ F1 l5 J I% i j
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive& Q6 z; \) z9 g, D# f# H7 B
adrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
: I5 d5 i7 k' t% Wpuberty in boys.3,4
" q o) q6 m, g9 D- BThe most common form of congenital adrenal
0 H4 ?' U0 M& z% O! ghyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.6 Z# I, f6 ~0 `7 s0 I' S
The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in
/ u7 q3 ~ o9 Bexcessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,6 Y8 [# k( b1 H; z0 X& U
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
' j+ ?0 P9 F5 F0 [excess.1,3& Q0 w0 e5 e8 ^9 D/ m
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
) G. p% Y0 y4 ~3 h' P/ A542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
& P9 ]6 A3 V. L |% U: lA unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-! U* ^ L! P% I3 [+ A; p1 \2 l2 @5 O3 l
independent precocious puberty, which is also known
5 R, r+ V& v# }as testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a
& ?# N. e( f# cvery young age. The physical findings in these boys
- d+ W5 @. Q7 L- s3 [0 e4 Uwith this disorder are full pubertal development,, c) s5 q' F, p3 D: e$ ?, p
including bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys+ |' I& {6 W5 q' {; l5 Y8 w# v
with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder$ m: x& ^- r8 `, P% K# E9 s: j" [
are suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show+ Y0 j9 i" d1 m8 d8 x
pubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-( L, d0 q3 q/ B2 `: j3 r
releasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked
9 m z8 H9 A' s! I1 N8 g6 H% C5 Fautosomal dominant disorder that affects only
( p# d& y. K" t$ s, t! amales; therefore, other male members of the family9 W8 t" m$ t4 ^/ J6 y
may have similar precocious puberty.33 V9 }$ ^9 [0 Q2 a |7 w) y( A
In our patient, physical examination was incon-
2 ~" t) k0 }8 vsistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-" q/ h* l! n' P: e! v
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis; ?2 W/ i* h$ u" c5 _) p
was in the differential diagnosis because his father* R; p& c- x1 O, M& w5 Q$ q
started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,3 x6 S- a+ W" R1 ^! N2 `# G
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the
6 k2 G9 B: c9 s% E" pbeginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-5 Q( N4 \+ ?5 [' ~( ]9 c
ative initial history of androgen exposure, our3 O1 Z3 O6 G/ r) i( A5 U
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,% Q' z0 Z/ Z8 A- g P! Q f
either 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
4 t/ c: b+ ^. Z# V3 u8 Pdeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-2 F* }" C B/ B& y; F! @2 Z) k# a
ing the normal level of adrenal steroids.
, p/ U" i& s8 [0 r+ X( U1 b8 Z7 A5 cThe diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly. P# M( [8 o9 z! N1 S) n
suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because" c( S- S I: o7 Z. H0 A
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-
# ]% ^: T8 j2 d7 W& t0 @( Vpearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and& r3 }0 ^: R+ {1 q4 `( p
decreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
' b! x8 ]$ w( i, F' Q9 B) n/ Pterone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was! {& Y* C" G5 N' J0 H
using it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’" T- o3 M$ V& R: Q$ n0 i
Desk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or- U7 u4 C# J" |3 T; y
cream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
: k$ L' t5 i6 K& L: X& sunprotected females through direct skin exposure.! Y( V) _4 y) ~8 \7 b$ j. ^5 r, k- S% U
Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the6 d) O1 H: r' ]2 v) F7 c
baseline value in those females who were exposed to
{+ e# k) q0 n$ E: P9 }$ W H9 Oeven 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male
" @( x" W# q% ^# E1 b/ v8 V! v7 vpartners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-
% a& G- T! W; ?/ B* X( C7 F9 J0 E& r- ttion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.
. s/ Q' W* ^$ R9 N, d" TOur patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,
, M4 G/ Y: V8 ^3 t: Zwhich was clearly high. Some studies suggest that
. V2 S0 e& x' n" G" X) A3 j7 a/ O1 gdermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-* C3 c [- O# y: s' R) d
terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more
" l; i( T4 r5 a5 bactive in young children exposed to testosterone$ v2 W+ G9 C; S1 P- {
exogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-
0 P, b t0 U* A$ H2 H9 Q. }drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to7 `" Z7 ^& x. z9 v0 P
virilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
4 @2 ?: |" h, W1 v& p5 s- bchildren results in an increase in growth velocity and
- q1 p4 p9 B9 @! m* b. fadvanced bone age, as seen in our patient.
, s7 Y) [$ H- aThe long-term effect of androgen exposure during1 E% z& M4 _0 g! F7 k% ~
early childhood on pubertal development and final. e) ^3 P3 H1 O2 O8 {* {3 g% \
adult height are not fully known and always remain& |/ u" d) l, a9 i3 t, {
a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-. l) M' V2 e: K9 d4 F8 m1 F
terone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some& R$ B+ h4 V) X/ }) ]3 W
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after
4 I, K! I# a; z" Wcessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation
6 @# O4 p" O2 S! ]! p: Zdecelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,9
" O/ t0 l# H) G/ M- I) s6 wThere are conflicting reports and controversy
' N8 ^8 g2 u! y" }over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult) ]- k0 K; i/ d2 G+ k
penile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal3 v: ]# _, R- ^) ?3 j- t2 u+ E
adult penile length, apparently because of downreg-
1 u v4 h6 M% F" V% N% Uulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,8 I! C& f4 v3 M; o! A
Sutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between# j/ }* z' F. q, t" a" k! f6 W
childhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult
, W; y/ A6 \- u. v! _, I& ppenile length in clinical studies.
k) G( Z g3 bNonetheless, we do not believe our patient is
6 z0 W4 R2 t: \going to experience any of the untoward effects from
4 {4 o% z5 ]4 |testosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because( U! {* [% J) t' B1 T5 ?
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.
& F1 p" X# ~% C, NAlthough the bone age was advanced at the time of& Y+ ]6 t0 S" ~$ z# j8 R$ B
diagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at9 b0 d2 o9 V2 j; k9 }& j
the follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult" A" h" b; U9 {4 h
height will not be affected.# G$ b3 Q1 R9 A3 s* B1 ]: X8 _4 {
Although rarely reported, the widespread avail-+ |3 B& X. A5 Z
ability of androgen products in our society may
) {, ?$ T3 T4 e1 W) V/ L3 Nindeed cause more virilization in male or female* a/ \% G ]& U% m0 Z# Z$ R
children than one would realize. Exposure to andro-/ q, W( U R. } n
gen products must be considered and specific ques-7 V7 G5 B& j6 D$ V
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or& @7 Y2 y7 e/ Z9 J( u( g3 v
gel should be asked of the family members during4 I3 R9 y O8 J, |7 x
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-4 l/ D; C. R. D9 r9 a* m
ilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-
. P5 O$ n$ z6 x' h( U. l% i/ mnosis can be established by just a few tests and by
6 l$ n* _. N( t6 [8 U7 T' L3 Zappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a
9 R \+ T0 E$ M3 ]history, or failure to ask the specific questions, may! i" I1 \& _. V' Z4 i3 [
result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive
" p$ E4 A, Q6 J/ {investigation. The primary care physician should be6 m) V6 ^5 v+ t
aware of this fact, because most of these children
p M& j% G% r5 Zmay initially present in their practice. The Physicians’" j5 o. s) P5 u8 r" K" @
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a- C( a' v" J! j w3 u8 J+ B
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or
$ H, g# R: J5 F- K' jfemale child who might come in contact with some-1 l4 z! y, n7 I
one using any of these products.
4 i& W& @0 V: z( O" NReferences4 H4 S* L3 O: q1 D2 ^2 h
1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation
+ G5 p% b7 P+ X( ^and puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric
; d# W& g' W Y B: p' G$ FEndocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;" V/ \& C( x& J5 s+ T
2002: 565-628.$ Y& u# X% \2 x. v
2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious4 s# n* h; Q; b' Y* ~ G
puberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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