Growth, Endocrine and Metabolism 2 Flashcards
What is precocious puberty?
Early puberty
Girls (breast development) = <8yr
Boys (testicular enlargement) = <9yr
Is precocious puberty concerning?
Usually benign in girls
Concerning in boys, rarely idiopathic/usually has organic cause
What are two types of precocious puberty?
1) Central (true) = gonadotrophin-dependent
2) Peripheral (false) = gonadotrophin-independent
What is central precocious puberty?
Puberty begins as a result of early activation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis
Normal pubertal development follows
What are some causes of central precocious puberty?
Idiopathic - no cause found in 80% girls and 40% boys
CNS abnormalities:
- Tumours eg gliomas, hCG-secreting germ cell tumours
- CNS trauma or injury eg infection, radiation, surgery
- Hamartomas of hypothalamus
- Congenital disorders such as hydrocephalus and arachnoid cysts
What is peripheral precocious puberty?
Puberty begins as a result of excess sex-steroids (androgens, oestrogen, progesterone) which do not involve physiological gonadotrophin secretion from the pituitary = independent of HPG axis
Gonad matures without GnRH stimulation and levels of testosterone and estradiol are elevated whilst LH and FSH are surpassed =abnormal pubertal development follows
What are some causes of peripheral precocious puberty?
Endogenous
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Gonadal tumours
- Germ cell tumours
- Adrenal tumours
Exogenous
- Environmental exogenous hormones
How may precocious puberty present in females?
- Thelarche (breast development) < 7 years
- Pubarche (pubic hair) < 8 years
- Menarche < 10 years
How may precocious puberty present in males?
- Bilateral enlargement of testes - gonadotrophin release from intracranial lesion
- Small testes - adrenal cause (e.g. adrenal tumour or hyperplasia)
- Unilaterally enlarged testes - gonadal tumour
What are hamartomas?
Mostly benign, focal malformation that resembles a neoplasm of its tissue of origin
What is McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS)?
A genetic condition in which there is increased risk of multiple endocrinopathies:
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Acromegaly
- Hyperparathyroidism etc
What are some signs of MAS?
Café-au-lait spots
Pathological fractures due to fibrous dysplasia of bones
Recurrent ovarian cysts
What investigations are done for precocious puberty?
1) Sex steroids
- Early morning testosterone is higher in boys in early puberty
- Estradiol levels are less reliable marker for puberty in girls as they are very variable (very high = ovarian pathology)
2) Gonadrotrophins LH and FSH
- High in central causes
- Low in peripheral causes
3) TFTs
4) Adrenal steroid precurorors (17-OH) - If CAH suspected
5) HCG
- If hCG secreting tumour suspected
6) Imaging:
- Pelvic US
- MRI of brain
- Hand and wrist x-rays for bone age
7) GnRH stimulation test
- Flat response in gonadotrophin-independent puberty
What is the management of precocious puberty?
Reduce the rate of skeletal maturation - early growth spurt might be associated with early cessation of growth leading to a short stature
Address psychosocial problems associated with early onset puberty
GnRH agonists for all patients
Peripheral PP - sex hormone inhibitors e.g. medroxyprogesterone acetate, cyproterone acetate, testolactone, ketoconazole
How to GnRH agonists help in precocious puberty?
Over-stimulate the pituitary, causing desensitisation and thus less release of LH and FSH
Continued until the time for normal puberty arrives
How does testolactone work?
= aromatase inhibitor thus inhibits steroid biosynthesis
Used most commonly for MAS but also used in testotoxicosis
What is delayed puberty?
Absent or incomplete development of secondary sex characteristics by age of:
- 14 in boys (testicular enlargement)
- 13 in girls (breast development)
What is the most common cause of delayed puberty?
Constitutional delay in growth and puberty (CDGP) = A temporary delay in growth and onset of puberty that is not non-pathological
What are the possible causes of central delayed puberty ?
Intact axis:
- CDPG = most common but must rule out other causes
- Chronic illness eg Crohn’s
- Malnutrition eg CF
- Excessive physical exercise
- Psychological deprivation
- Steroid therapy
- Hypothyroidism
Hypogonadism (impaired axis):
Low gonatrophin secretion (hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism)
- Hypopituitarism
- Idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
- Hypothalamic-pituitary disorders - Prader-Willi, Kallmann syndrome
High gonadtrophin secretion (hypergonatrophic hypogonadism)
- Chromosomal abnormalities - Klinefelters, Turners
- Steroid hormone deficiencies
- Acquired gonadal damage
What is Idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism ?
Low gonadotrophin and sex steroid levels in the absence of abnormalities in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system
What features may be seen in IHH?
Cryptotorchordism Micropenis Synkinesia (mirror movements) Cleft lip and palate Dental agenesis Skeletal anomalies Hearing loss \+/- Loss of smell (Kallman's syndrome)
What are some causes of peripheral delayed puberty in boys?
Bilateral testicular damage eg torsion / mumps
Syndromes causing cryptorchidism or gonadal dysgensis eg Prader-Wili, Kallmann’s
Irradiation
Drugs eg cyclophosphamide
What are some causes of peripheral delayed puberty in girls?
Gonadal dysgenesis e.g. Turner’s syndrome
Irradiation
Drugs eg cyclophosphamide or busulfan (ovarian failure)
DSD eg CAH
PCOS
Toxic damage eg iron overload (thalassaemia) or galactosaemia
What investigations should be done for delayed puberty?
Usually not required as most are CDGP
Investigations for chronic disease: FBC Ferritin Renal function tests U&Es Coeliac screen Urinalysis
Investigations for disorders of gonadal axis: Basal FSH/LH and estradiol/testosterone TFTs GNRH and GH Pelvic USS Bone age - wrist x ray MRI/CT of pituitary Chromosome analysis
What may LH and FSH be in CDGP and IHH? And gonadal failure?
Low in constitutional delay in growth and puberty and idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
Elevated in gonadal failure
What is the management of CDGP?
Not often necessary but short courses of sex steroid can help individuals catch up with peers
Boys: testosterone PO or depot injection for 3-6 months then reassess
- Usually rapid and effective
girls: gradually increasing oestrogen treatment, with cyclical progesterone once adequate oestrogen levels
What is given in primary testicular / ovarian failure?
Pubertal induction followed by ongoing hormone replacement
What is congenital hypothyroidism?
Lack of thyroid hormones present from birth, if not detected early = irreversible neuroligcal problems and poor growth
- some develop after birth = primary hypothyroidism rather than CH
Is CH more common in boys or girls? And in which areas of the world?
2x more common in girls
Areas with iodine deficiency eg Bangladesh / China / Peru
What are some causes of CH?
1) Thyroid gland defects = 75%
- Not inherited so low chance of sibling affected
2) Disorders of thyroid metabolism = 10%
- Eg TSH unresponsiveness / defects in thyroglobulin structure
- Usually inherited
3) Hypothalamic or pituitary dysfunction = 5%
- Pituitary hypothyroidism usually occurs with other disorders of pituitary function if GH deficiency
- Hypothalamic causes include tumours, ischaemic damage etc
4) Transient hypothyroidism = 10%
What is transient hypothyroidism usually related to?
Maternal medications eg carbimazole or maternal antibodies
In maternal thyroid disease, IgG auto-antibodies can cross the placenta and block thyroid function in utero - this improves after delivery
What genetic defects have been associated with CH?
PAX8 - related to formation of kidney and thyroid gland
DUOX2 - related to production of thyroid hormones