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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old2 L7 Z# j2 D! {! l) I) T
Boy Induced by Indirect Topical% m" W4 h' q) {; v7 @& v* t6 K
Exposure to Testosterone
$ d1 G- q3 o3 ^) m( nSamar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2
& `8 S: }3 S; |6 w. u g0 g/ aand Kenneth R. Rettig, MD17 P B9 Y! Q. L# O
Clinical Pediatrics1 t; w, Y1 S; h9 J+ }
Volume 46 Number 6
5 Z& A! g8 i3 f8 M- g7 dJuly 2007 540-543
6 }8 i9 b4 ?$ e% K% |) r© 2007 Sage Publications
, v0 m3 ?4 I* P7 O' q10.1177/0009922806296651$ K; H7 B. y- ?+ ] c
http://clp.sagepub.com# a: G" e1 T) j. r" j$ d. p) ^+ E
hosted at
/ m/ z- d7 ^2 M) V7 E) G4 [http://online.sagepub.com/ x s7 U1 J* h$ h) A& `( ~
Precocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,' ^- o# _6 q" K5 u6 v# }9 J3 W, i, h4 w
is a significant concern for physicians. Central( c4 s2 K7 f: T/ j1 b o
precocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated& e) `# Y0 `8 @ R$ \/ G! c8 |
through the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has- d0 s6 o" u% }! ]
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system, K' ?, b4 j" `
lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested! { {7 C. v8 ]! F$ ?/ ?# Y$ J
by enlargement of the penis, development of pubic
5 ^5 O) c9 m8 ihair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-
/ }( _, R5 Z4 [! L& H& kcles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We' L- a) l; \! b7 y r4 ^
report a 16-month-old boy who presented with the
0 S$ ~0 Y2 X6 d! S+ \enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-. S( g- @, K6 Y. D
ment without testicular enlargement, which was due9 _* d3 m) C2 J* Y
to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
1 f" N! O9 v8 s& M; Jthe father. The family initially concealed this infor-
& ]5 O# l& U; m! u' J- r: mmation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this
3 u) @/ x( T# X7 Pchild. Given the widespread and easy availability of$ p( a/ |4 X. z1 k- B1 N
testosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-" c) l) F+ W7 N. {
bly more common than the rare case report in the) C7 o: a+ g$ m: I0 f& q2 T
literature.43 f2 @: m& H; ]$ D7 V z5 r
Patient Report) d. a2 z) Y8 L2 v% p% A/ C# ?) @3 d
A 16-month-old white child was referred to the
! H7 ^; p* Q! Q6 y( xendocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern2 S& t5 I: H& q+ |8 E
of early sexual development. His mother noticed2 A* a# r. F- w' v0 C. _
light colored pubic hair development when he was
( I2 S4 R- N0 C1 f2 K1 gFrom the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of. J0 B- k( [1 r g U& e5 U+ T
South Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.8 ]7 e6 C3 ]" f
Address correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,, |$ M0 \# u+ S5 C! c; ^) a7 r, }
Professor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of7 z) ^/ i, N* o+ K$ |
Medicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;
; B2 k5 T2 D! X9 W9 M! C# x2 ^e-mail: [email protected].5 Z7 a9 M6 A1 X, D( M( d; a
about 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became+ R7 x9 G2 n3 [, m, g9 W9 W
darker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-
3 Z! N% J' m" z; H S9 ^8 Kment of his penis and frequent erections. The child
# J0 Q7 v3 d! o @was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with; D$ `; r/ y( }- ]: h( d9 n
a birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of! l: E0 [% U( d- ^! J' x
20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year
! `1 S2 G; K5 h7 \of life and was still receiving breast milk along with
* E. m! x d2 A, q8 b1 Xsolid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
; s' s8 f% F. n+ r3 Z2 p T" Aand his psychosocial and psychomotor development5 w- z1 f/ {* b! ]
was age appropriate.
. d/ {3 z* h- l/ iThe family history was remarkable for the father,
4 o: N; t: }" [who was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,9 k% n ~6 r* F7 @. G$ a
which was treated with thyroxine. The father’s
0 b6 i) \, k( t) Aheight was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
6 t+ m( B( E7 j6 G& J" n) k+ T$ j+ pearly puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.7 p, W& F* a1 Z9 D/ E" P
The father denied taking any other medication. The J& `3 X1 I! v& p3 \% I
child’s mother was in good health. Her menarche# t- u3 v, j4 _: O
was at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet) \# i4 c& U6 Y5 c5 y! ~8 |7 i" \* i
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-
1 l& T" U4 p( _: F" ^; xcocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-5 ]8 I( \+ n) H
tives. There were no siblings.% l: c: \- y, `* p* t
Physical Examination
$ A' v3 `! r+ mThe physical examination revealed a very active,
/ L8 d5 k3 k- o0 l1 h. hplayful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented) e, [/ T1 @$ W) B: N* Z( J$ }5 j O7 W
a blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was
) q! _2 m T: ]* v$ h8 F9 M. }90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg! D8 X( {3 X$ k; ^; d
(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth
* ^5 ~! I( \ Y$ `/ }$ u6 J! uvelocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of
/ H9 p( k0 q( ]0 o% @( ?, ythe neck revealed no thyroid enlargement., l% w$ c3 o( ]3 J7 R- e
The genitourinary examination was remarkable for
' m8 ]- |8 D4 m; M* @. n; xenlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of8 j" j+ b8 V4 a
8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well
8 b- c+ y5 W. d6 n4 k# D+ Mdeveloped. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around
v* l/ f. v6 X$ }- w1 B+ ?5408 Y- m2 h3 q+ w1 g2 n' Q. E- s
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
3 w4 E: m5 P" sthe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The% ~* b7 N. U W8 \
testicular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each., a; \. ^+ Q. A) f$ q- O% I
The skin was moist and smooth and somewhat
. _7 t+ j. J2 A5 F/ j! N+ ]5 P0 J3 Foily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no5 W1 Z8 p: g' }
abnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots." M, N$ E1 B- A. x6 E3 A$ f6 j5 Z3 V
Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+
# w" X/ \7 v$ l( |2 m+ M3 tbilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion+ A6 {1 ~: Y4 M5 w/ t
of papilledema.
1 i( v, L7 l% D7 T8 LLaboratory Evaluation8 d/ m- X: L7 V. I3 J/ U+ {
The bone age was consistent with 28 months by
% F, k( \' E0 e. j$ e2 Fusing the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-
$ ?& E7 y' l4 Q$ i0 e9 alogic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal
5 Y7 y8 e9 o9 E- t' R" _karyotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test3 k/ T+ Q8 f" G& r S
showed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-5 N# ~5 a( [6 ^3 W
lating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).
o3 q/ m! L8 Q$ K/ kThe concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood
- y% t% g- h+ K" f# a/ jurea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were
8 t: } y/ `! p. }within normal range for his age. The concentration
; I2 q. r0 H" `* d) J8 P, K: h9 Fof serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL
8 b4 K0 w0 S& i: n# |(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20
: y u3 T$ C- E4 m, yng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-, ^/ x4 A6 |. p# q
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),
4 p- D$ q/ j/ P& |; O2 q- P' f5 _desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to
4 ^0 A* I5 G# n. b% I49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)7 f4 W' d8 S1 K$ @4 u. J
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-
' Y8 V: r5 j ~1 l0 J5 Wtisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total' p1 y5 v& O' Z5 a, _5 F
testosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),
1 d, r4 w# o: p1 i3 \# Z% Q8 K! } oand β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than( C0 r& ]0 s' Z: l
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular$ y" P v' t+ b) t
stimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone, u+ N* S" v; {4 j$ h S
concentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL
1 ]# f5 H+ \8 j6 S& J' A(prepubertal).. e0 C5 i* Y) @+ x# F2 {. ]
The parents were notified about the laboratory
/ C/ m: u p6 }9 T6 ]results and were informed that all of the tests were7 a0 A% O+ q7 g C6 s I/ a
normal except the testosterone level was high. The4 u1 H6 m" d- I4 W$ P q+ O+ M2 {6 E
follow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to
2 k0 f/ n8 o5 S8 ?( n$ t% iobtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-* {6 N4 l7 a" w$ D' @/ o
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.7 g) r" e/ g( M4 g& x+ k2 E
Physical examination at this time revealed that the6 j( V3 X' u3 q; b. s) \2 D4 J# y
child had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained: V0 e# L4 D+ e8 F. l& C: Q
2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
5 C R+ u5 a. x" e) ]% d+ ?3 lunchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-
0 i' K( I' Q7 O. Npletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at- `/ x' V( ?1 B7 s
the base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 2
5 k! S& h0 M; b% v; }9 OmL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.( y9 _8 f0 l8 v
The mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-
+ w) ]4 ?5 p% D) k" Q n0 Z) M4 Fing frequent erections.
, ^8 o+ [6 I$ f; l# r) ^) U, TBoth parents were again questioned about use of
( f: {9 v8 q" j( I: x: p2 a. yany ointment/creams that they may have applied to& S4 i! P6 b; k+ w2 C) f7 n
the child’s skin. This time the father admitted the' a' h# G, r/ h) m2 l4 P c& x% h
Topical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541
. W a; F5 k" \use of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-0 k$ K W+ y2 R3 V6 O3 m! K
ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for `& A# ]/ U+ b
a year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed
7 i) f, T) {( I% Gto disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-
5 O+ a- c9 R3 K6 l- J( iscribed by his family physician for decreased libido) f3 [3 \2 Z. K( P6 U, Y$ Q! ?( S
secondary to depression.
# o4 U4 p2 m) |( sThe child slept in the same bed with parents.0 B% L U. i) C9 ~/ Z) B; A# v+ b0 m
The father would hug the baby and hold him on his2 q, a+ X# n N( t# F
chest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-( I5 c, j$ _5 `6 k0 O! U
nificant bare skin contact between baby and father.
: h5 `+ |7 h) E& i& z3 SThe father also admitted that after the phone call,; S; t- {& R. b; U# {" J4 @
when he learned the testosterone level in the baby7 l, d% O9 e% r# x: g
was high, he then read the product information& y* y2 V$ m. _6 Y- z* Q
packet and concluded that it was most likely the rea-& f. c) c F H' a+ h1 d9 i' N
son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they
2 U V$ i4 [9 ] b3 K. Z* qdecided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the
3 T$ `2 X! N9 i% m. @father was not hugging him with bare skin and had
$ }/ v a* U. |: T9 S0 j. n; Ybeen using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone, ^3 b" u8 a. G" t
test was ordered, but the family did not go to the
9 Y: c( [) }; @. I# i, ?. Y& jlaboratory to obtain the test.6 o( K8 t9 I/ `# X1 y# }7 m
Discussion
$ q5 ~% g/ N6 M/ T0 g4 jPrecocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary
) E0 }# P. y5 K+ ^( Isexual development before 9 years of age.1,4+ U# R3 Z$ N Y' U) ~$ p2 K% b+ [/ w
Precocious puberty is termed as central (true) when
# d4 q- z6 r) l8 |4 D5 m8 ]it is caused by the premature activation of hypo-! \+ o5 c: _9 w$ i6 G
thalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-
( V' \) M; w9 c6 Q' imon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP
& h9 O: M, [" cmay have a central nervous system lesion that is# d d: ?$ A- i2 ^1 |' X; e/ _( m
responsible for the early activation of the hypothal-
5 V2 C/ f" p; ^: D" J7 U5 samic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-
7 K: n3 P! K; V5 Dsis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in
/ V' n5 o7 r0 Gboys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-' z/ t' ?$ Z! c1 w/ s
ization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-; _7 T( o* H. r; }$ L1 O
rical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by
* D* J. D( H" j( d% W- xgonadotropins.1,3/ \6 l: N+ C2 e' l. f- s6 C
Gonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-
! S) p" P2 A) P6 s2 K$ w# Z" Qcious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate* {* z2 L; F5 R8 |. `
androgenic stimulation from either endogenous or- d9 P3 u* f+ `1 L# u8 R
exogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-0 a8 ~! V$ r, V/ \- l4 ~! r _
ulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing4 ~+ D, c# l! m" f) R: S
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive
( N% x3 B& ^& Jadrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious
5 t% B9 C( Y! W* Q( v+ L" ]puberty in boys.3,4
5 E3 _& l: V$ l4 B$ j2 UThe most common form of congenital adrenal
: H+ G- h& Z+ Y& @hyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.4 s: t. I, Q" v
The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in7 N% p, l! ?7 t; y' k1 K( e" z
excessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,1 l# v/ l8 u% q# p
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen/ H* C+ v0 s# T2 Y9 v
excess.1,31 J' j J) O6 Z, K, s
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from0 H, V9 O y; Z# c
542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
: x+ [1 s6 S$ b z5 B; ZA unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-$ E0 L) z6 Q' E
independent precocious puberty, which is also known; j+ [, F/ T# E! X1 Q! c
as testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a! z- J1 b+ h/ e
very young age. The physical findings in these boys
! S7 b% ?# [; ^with this disorder are full pubertal development,
: G& }, b3 @% L6 tincluding bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys, Z$ q9 {9 A. U- E( A" K+ E/ `& {
with CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder( o/ U+ t6 J$ D! u6 Y/ H4 q' e
are suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show4 t- i' b" D7 x5 w+ A# N6 a5 ~
pubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin- d' a) u1 \" m- U/ B
releasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked% Y+ v7 {4 @- o2 o# H6 v) w
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only7 w3 l! t$ A; j7 x: f% j2 `: E5 x
males; therefore, other male members of the family
7 N$ ^% H, I" r# q5 n* umay have similar precocious puberty.3
$ s! s/ P4 Z( Z/ BIn our patient, physical examination was incon-
+ V& Q- c+ Q+ |: Isistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-: i5 c5 q! v7 e5 X0 b. s) B Z! j$ ~
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis
; r0 E, U: m. f8 a; ^was in the differential diagnosis because his father0 U, M1 h) v5 g' r
started puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,3 O: ?, M& C, P1 w, u* n
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the
5 S: K J3 E, K U% c3 M+ Lbeginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-
2 K4 p+ H5 J8 l* l9 G: C$ Eative initial history of androgen exposure, our d/ ^+ v9 s* ^, X9 s8 y
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,
9 M! q5 s5 j& P" b/ h* d$ Ceither 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase) U5 d% z ]+ {& G: B0 ?5 g
deficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-
S. c2 z9 D$ [0 \ing the normal level of adrenal steroids.
; v- u8 _; p, f' _The diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly
% Q; s- W: t1 o3 U+ \suspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because
3 L% ?& B/ X% D0 H% n- Rthe physical examination revealed the complete disap-7 e* _7 v) e1 \9 o% o
pearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and
0 D: Q1 ~5 B& h; v; A% vdecreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
3 y' E2 t, E0 U7 T9 Y& v, u! lterone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was- Y6 n4 Q, y) ?. B2 L
using it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’
7 } c; ]. C {Desk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or0 E* v$ x% ^5 a5 J
cream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to" @: l E4 _2 B1 e5 T6 L
unprotected females through direct skin exposure.7 i- c/ X' f" _! F
Serum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the
3 h5 d5 }' m; ~# W" k* ~ F! gbaseline value in those females who were exposed to
& I5 {0 F0 i# l N% A: k& K5 }even 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male
T/ _2 q# V) o. D [! a9 d+ L- epartners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-3 l6 {. p) D8 a9 ~
tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.. S" r C: {. q! F, W
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,0 D8 n( a4 Q+ u9 ~$ p% m0 P- Y: }9 B
which was clearly high. Some studies suggest that
# d, p# X7 e% N! `/ N6 n! \dermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-
- K4 s9 u! Q+ L7 D9 e% ~2 \+ Nterone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more
3 b$ J, Y7 ?0 y7 w4 l9 H, Sactive in young children exposed to testosterone
6 N" Q( M0 k4 O9 h& S; jexogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-! m* e" b" G# V- f. B3 O p* x
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to
. X- r3 p ?9 b) vvirilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in9 K* P) K2 c3 H O9 f
children results in an increase in growth velocity and
0 t8 q* d% _( U- x' Hadvanced bone age, as seen in our patient.7 I# |& v" L. X6 @7 ?( v( D+ a) n
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during
8 M$ S- o6 U6 ?4 qearly childhood on pubertal development and final
$ u/ \* m7 r' O2 _ ~: iadult height are not fully known and always remain& B4 U5 {* d) E1 [; L0 ~ Q# A
a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-9 f; u! U' O6 f% _ ~
terone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some
4 h: {0 ]; i6 o( {7 {+ a4 F# M% Uacceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after9 `$ C8 G k9 b6 [- l6 ?
cessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation# F0 k6 d; P* q/ j
decelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,9
1 E6 O( G1 G( uThere are conflicting reports and controversy1 S7 F$ I0 i* T6 P) T" o, w
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult% `2 a. j* p" R# S/ d7 |" `$ W
penile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal$ k) k* S; z% b4 y- j. C
adult penile length, apparently because of downreg-
; w8 c; Q" {8 r) ^3 r7 w$ D2 y% kulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,
* B* y }7 G# c. g) d$ ?! h' `Sutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between
; F8 b, l8 g- u) }5 {! hchildhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult4 G/ S8 s2 i- N
penile length in clinical studies.: A6 n9 c$ p8 X; |' X
Nonetheless, we do not believe our patient is
9 J& |3 N6 d/ f) V- ^5 c* s ~going to experience any of the untoward effects from
" Q$ a# P6 I, e. m& f) Y, Xtestosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because; j- P D& L. K1 Z4 ?% |/ a. \
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.
" [+ G* G! J E5 A x* JAlthough the bone age was advanced at the time of) g" L4 j4 c$ I$ m! N' h* a W/ M
diagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at
% z7 }1 `, U3 _, b1 }4 s; \0 Mthe follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult4 R0 u$ S/ O8 E1 v( l; P
height will not be affected.
1 M( Z/ \3 ~% n) e6 I$ Y: C4 {& r2 WAlthough rarely reported, the widespread avail-
" |5 A& Z( e" P: qability of androgen products in our society may: T# L2 v* i$ s
indeed cause more virilization in male or female" k- X# h; n) R2 t
children than one would realize. Exposure to andro-
6 t* B3 i! s* F: M7 g5 Xgen products must be considered and specific ques-
2 v, Y- n8 U$ ptioning about the use of a testosterone product or) u+ ?+ K2 j" q1 q; b
gel should be asked of the family members during
: |: N1 @0 m# Z+ i% Jthe evaluation of any children who present with vir-
+ w1 E2 A7 }9 |) }ilization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-# E u( e* g7 J4 ]& o, P8 @# z
nosis can be established by just a few tests and by
* R2 y' ~, }+ V- eappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a% @9 M- ], m$ F- \: h# n0 w
history, or failure to ask the specific questions, may
! S% |( B, q9 e5 e: l a# X! y1 n% Y1 `result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive
2 J6 W" S' j0 k5 ?# u% Y winvestigation. The primary care physician should be' r' u: Q% N. k U s8 I; G
aware of this fact, because most of these children8 [5 d7 v$ Y* D% m9 E
may initially present in their practice. The Physicians’" @( v: V, H: m/ n
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a# E, v4 z# v" l5 V4 b- F+ Z
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or2 @# O9 b5 C! O" ~$ [, b8 ^% |
female child who might come in contact with some-% Y- Z. q5 r+ h- Z
one using any of these products.( q: x6 t/ `; s6 H% l
References- N" t5 Q' d5 L* j2 b
1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation
8 F. f+ J6 {$ Iand puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric
" _; N5 T i9 V! v+ aEndocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;
7 j- |) l+ f5 G. `' L9 ?/ `3 E' ]4 K2002: 565-628.
: ^9 m1 ]9 ?3 h9 c5 k' [2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious$ B* o1 P, |' e$ S3 Q8 A
puberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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