Chapter 6 - Endocrine Flashcards
What is considered short stature? What is the difference between normal variant and pathological short stature?
- it is defined as height that is two standard deviations below the mean
- normal variant short stature is when this is true but the child is still growing with a normal growth velocity
- pathologic short stature is when the height is two standard deviations below the mean and has suboptimal growth velocity
How is mid-parental heigh calculated?
- for males, MPH = (father’s height + mother’s + 5)/2
- for females, MPH = (father’s heigh - 5 + mother’s)/2
- most children end up within 4 inches of their MPH
Name two pharmaceuticals that can lead to short stature if used chronically.
- steroids
- stimulants due to their appetite suppression and possible associated poor weight gain
How is the U/L ratio calculated and what is normal?
- it is the patient’s upper-to-lower body segment ratio
- calculated with the lower segment being the pubic symphysis to the heel and upper segment being total height minus the lower segment
- at birth, 1.7 is normal; at 3 years old, 1.3 is normal; and after 7 years old, 1.0 is normal
- an abnormal U/L suggests a disproportionate short stature
Define the two most common types of normal variant short stature.
- familial: a height at least two standard deviations below the mean with a short MPH but with normal bone age, normal onset of puberty, and minimum growth of 2 inches per year
- constitutional: a height at least two standard deviations below the mean with a history of delayed puberty in either or both parents, a delayed bone age, late onset of puberty, and a minimum growth of 2 inches per year
How do we classify short stature?
- first as either normal variant or pathologic based on growth velocity
- then pathological cases are divided as either proportionate or disproportionate based on the U/L ratio
- proportionate cases can be further divided into cases with a prenatal and postnatal onset
Give the following:
- two most common types of normal variant short stature
- four causes of prenatal, proportionate, pathologic short stature
- seven causes of postnatal, proportionate, pathologic short stature
- two causes of disproportionate pathologic short stature
- normal variant: familial and constitutional delay
- prenatal proportionate: environmental causes, chromosomal disorders, genetic syndromes, viral infection
- postnatal proportionate: malnutrition, cyanotic heart disease, renal disease, GI disease, pulmonary disease, endocrine disease, psychosocial dwarfism
- disproportionate: rickets or other skeletal dysplasias like achondroplasia
What lab studies are used to investigate pathologic short stature?
- CBC
- ESR
- thyroxine
- electrolytes
- creatinine and bicarb
- IGF-1 as an indirect test for GH
Under what circumstances is it acceptable to measure a random growth hormone level?
essentially never
List four endocrinopathies that cause short stature.
- growth hormone deficiency
- hypothyroidism
- hypercortisolism
- Turner syndrome
How does bone age help with the differential for short stature?
- it gives information about the potential for further growth
- if bone age = chronological age, it is suggestive of familial short stature, intrauterine growth retardation, Turner syndrome, or skeletal dysplasia
- if bone age < chronological age, it is suggestive of constitutional short stature, hypothyroidism, hypercortisolism, GH deficiency, or chronic disease
Growth Hormone Deficiency
- an endocrinopathy which causes a postnatal, proportionate, pathologic short stature; as such that have poor growth velocity and a bone age less than chronological age
- may be caused by a brain tumor, especially a craniopharyngioma in children under than 5, prior CNS radiation, CNS vascular malformations, autoimmune disease, trauma, or congenital midline defects
- patients often have a history of prolonged neonatal jaundice, hypoglycemia, cherubic facies, central obesity, microphallus, cryptorchidism, and midline defects
- imaging studies are used to assess bone age and an MRI is used to rule out CNS lesion
- labs show low IGF-1 levels and a poor response to GH stimulation testing
- treated with recombinant GH until bone age shows the patient has reached nearly maximal growth potential
What hormonal event triggers the onset of puberty?
a reduction in the overly sensitive nature of the HPG axis to sex steroids at the level of the hypothalamus
Describe normal female puberty.
- begins between 7-13 years of age
- begins with adrenarche, the onset of adrenal androgen steroidogenesis, which drives the onset of pubic or axillary hair
- thelarche, the onset of breast development driven by estrogen, however, is usually the first sign of puberty with breast buds forming at an average of 9.5 years old
- true puberty is defined by an increase in gonadotropins and occurs sometime later
- menarche begins at 9-15 years of age with an average of 12.5 years old and 2-3 years after thelarche as the HPG axis matures and FSH stimulates ovarian follicle development and estrogen production
Describe normal male puberty.
- begins between 9-14 years of age
- testicular enlargement is usually the first sign of puberty and occurs between 11-12 years of age, on average
- FSH then begins stimulating the testes to produce sperm while LH induces production of androgens
- these androgens are responsible for penile enlargement and the growth of pubic hair
- those androgens are also responsible for growth of axillary and facial hair, which begins about 2 years after the growth of pubic hair
Which race typically experiences earlier development of sexual characteristics than others?
African Americans tend to develop secondary sexual characteristics earlier
How does obesity affect puberty?
it is associated with precocity
How do we define precocious puberty?
- for girls, it is thelarche or pubic hair growth before age 7 or menarche before age 9
- for boys, it is testicular changes, penile enlargement, or pubic or axillary hair growth before age 9
Premature Thelarche
- development of visible or palpable breast tissue only, with no other secondary sex characteristics before age 7
- quite common and benign, usually presenting within the first 2 years of life due to transient activation of the HPGA
- requires no workup or treatment
Premature Adrenarche
- growth of pubic or axillary hair without thelarche or testicular enlargement before age 7 in girls and age 9 in boys
- it is more common in girls and occurs after 5 years of age with pubic and axillary hair growth and apocrine odor; growth is normal and their is no clitoromegaly
- requires no treatment
Central Precocious Puberty
- the early onset of gonadotropin-mediated puberty due to premature activation of the hypothalamus
- more common in girls, who tend to have idiopathic cases; in boys sexual precocity tends to be organic and requires evaluation
- hydrocephalus, CNS infection, cerebral palsy, being hypothalamic hamartomas, malignant tumors, and severe head trauma are all possible causes
- in contrast to premature adrenarche or thelarche, girls experience breast development, pubic hair growth, and rapid linear growth; similarly boys experience testicular enlargement, pubic hair growth, and rapid linear growth
- evaluation should include FSH, LH, and sex steroids, a GnRH stimulation test, and an MRI of the head
Peripheral Precocious Puberty
- a precocious puberty that is independent of the HPG axis and instead caused by peripheral production of male or female sex steroids in an FSH/LH-independent manner
- may be caused by exposure to exogenous sex steroids, gonadal tumors, adrenal tumors, and non classic CAH
- boys present with either gynecomastia or premature onset of pubic hair; there is usually no testicular enlargement because these patients do not have an increase in FSH but there are some causes that result in testicular enlargement as well
- girls present with virilization or thelarche
- the hallmark is a flat response to GnRH stimulation; should also check FSH, LH, testosterone/estradiol levels, and B-hCG
What is the GnRH stimulation test?
- a test to assess whether or not there has been premature activation of the hypothalamus in those with precocious puberty
- begins with an injection of synthetic GnRH and then measure the LH and FSH response
- in prepubertal patients or patients with peripheral precocious puberty, there is little rise in LH if any
- if patients have central precocious puberty (premature activation of the hypothalamus) there will be a dramatic rise in LH
What would cause peripheral precocious puberty in males with testicular enlargement?
- McCune-Albright syndrome
- Testotoxicosis
- B-hCG-Secreting Tumors
McCune-Albright Syndrome
- a cause of peripheral precocious puberty with testicular enlargement in males
- characterized by polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, irregularly bordered hyper pigmented macules (aka coast of Maine cafe-au-lait spots), peripheral precocious puberty, and testicular enlargement
What is testotoxicosis?
a disease in which the testes enlarge bilaterally and independently of the HPG axis
What effect do B-hCG-secreting tumors have on puberty?
they are unique to males and the B-hCG cross-reacts with LH, stimulating Leydig cells and testicular growth
How do we define delayed puberty?
- as no breast tissue by 13 years of age or no menarche by 14 years of age in girls
- as no testicular enlargement by age 14 in boys
Hypergonadotropic Hypogonadism
- end-organ dysfunction that leads to a delay of puberty
- testosterone and estradiol levels are low despite high FSH and LH levels
- may be caused by chromosomal disorders including Klinefelter syndrome and Turner syndrome or by autoimmune disorders like autoimmune oophoritis associated with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Constitutional Delay of Puberty
- due to an immature hypothalamus
- more common in boys and in those with a family history
- often associated with constitutional growth delay
Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism
- delayed puberty secondary to an inactive hypothalamus or pituitary
- FSH and LH levels are low as are testosterone and estradiol levels
- may be caused by constitutional delay of puberty, chronic disease, hypopituitarism of any case including brain tumors, prolactinoma, and genetic syndromes such as Kallman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, and Lawrence-Moon Biedl Syndrome
- the GnRH stimulation test will be flat