COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center
ObjectiveSince the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several centers of pediatric endocrinology worldwide have observed a significant increase in the number of girls presenting with precocious or early puberty. We aimed to compare the incidence rates of female precocious puberty before and during the d...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1132769/full |
| _version_ | 1797893705346056192 |
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| author | Laura Chioma Mariangela Chiarito Giorgia Bottaro Laura Paone Tommaso Todisco Carla Bizzarri Marco Cappa |
| author_facet | Laura Chioma Mariangela Chiarito Giorgia Bottaro Laura Paone Tommaso Todisco Carla Bizzarri Marco Cappa |
| author_sort | Laura Chioma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveSince the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several centers of pediatric endocrinology worldwide have observed a significant increase in the number of girls presenting with precocious or early puberty. We aimed to compare the incidence rates of female precocious puberty before and during the different phases of COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe have retrospectively analyzed all the consultations recorded in the outpatient clinic database of the Endocrinology Unit of Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy, from the lockdown start in March 2020 up to September 2020, in comparison with the consultations recorded in the same months of 2019, 2021 and 2022. Age, height, weight, body mass index, Tanner’s pubertal stage and bone age at presentation, birth weight, ethnicity, family history of central precocious puberty (CPP), maternal age at menarche, history of adoption were retrieved from clinical records. Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) both at baseline and after gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation, and basal estradiol levels were collected.ResultsIn 2019, 78 girls with suspected precocious puberty were referred for endocrinological consultation, compared to 202 girls in 2020, 158 girls in 2021 and 112 girls in 2022. A significant increase in the proportion of girls diagnosed with rapidly progressive CPP was observed in 2020, compared to 2019 (86/202 vs. 18/78, p<0.01). In the following periods of 2021 and 2022, a gradual decrease in the number of cases of progressive CPP was evident, so much that the number of cases was not significantly different from that observed in 2019 (56/158 in 2021 and 35/112 in 2022, p=0.054 and p=0.216 respectively, compared to 2019).ConclusionsOur research suggests that drastic lifestyle changes, such as those imposed by COVID-19 lockdown, and the consequent stress may affect the regulation of pubertal timing. The remarkable increase in CPP cases observed during the 2020 first pandemic wave seems to be reduced in 2021 and 2022, concurrently with the progressive resumption of daily activities. These data seem to support the hypothesis of a direct relationship between profound life-style changes related to the pandemic and the rise in precocious puberty cases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:58:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-689f966c574e4f68970c1c0b02a118bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2392 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:58:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Endocrinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-689f966c574e4f68970c1c0b02a118bc2023-02-28T06:27:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Endocrinology1664-23922023-02-011410.3389/fendo.2023.11327691132769COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary centerLaura ChiomaMariangela ChiaritoGiorgia BottaroLaura PaoneTommaso TodiscoCarla BizzarriMarco CappaObjectiveSince the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several centers of pediatric endocrinology worldwide have observed a significant increase in the number of girls presenting with precocious or early puberty. We aimed to compare the incidence rates of female precocious puberty before and during the different phases of COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe have retrospectively analyzed all the consultations recorded in the outpatient clinic database of the Endocrinology Unit of Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome, Italy, from the lockdown start in March 2020 up to September 2020, in comparison with the consultations recorded in the same months of 2019, 2021 and 2022. Age, height, weight, body mass index, Tanner’s pubertal stage and bone age at presentation, birth weight, ethnicity, family history of central precocious puberty (CPP), maternal age at menarche, history of adoption were retrieved from clinical records. Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) both at baseline and after gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation, and basal estradiol levels were collected.ResultsIn 2019, 78 girls with suspected precocious puberty were referred for endocrinological consultation, compared to 202 girls in 2020, 158 girls in 2021 and 112 girls in 2022. A significant increase in the proportion of girls diagnosed with rapidly progressive CPP was observed in 2020, compared to 2019 (86/202 vs. 18/78, p<0.01). In the following periods of 2021 and 2022, a gradual decrease in the number of cases of progressive CPP was evident, so much that the number of cases was not significantly different from that observed in 2019 (56/158 in 2021 and 35/112 in 2022, p=0.054 and p=0.216 respectively, compared to 2019).ConclusionsOur research suggests that drastic lifestyle changes, such as those imposed by COVID-19 lockdown, and the consequent stress may affect the regulation of pubertal timing. The remarkable increase in CPP cases observed during the 2020 first pandemic wave seems to be reduced in 2021 and 2022, concurrently with the progressive resumption of daily activities. These data seem to support the hypothesis of a direct relationship between profound life-style changes related to the pandemic and the rise in precocious puberty cases.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1132769/fullprecocious pubertylockdownCOVID-19pandemicgirls |
| spellingShingle | Laura Chioma Mariangela Chiarito Giorgia Bottaro Laura Paone Tommaso Todisco Carla Bizzarri Marco Cappa COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center Frontiers in Endocrinology precocious puberty lockdown COVID-19 pandemic girls |
| title | COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center |
| title_full | COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center |
| title_short | COVID-19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty: The experience of the past 4 years (2019 through 2022) in an Italian tertiary center |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic phases and female precocious puberty the experience of the past 4 years 2019 through 2022 in an italian tertiary center |
| topic | precocious puberty lockdown COVID-19 pandemic girls |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1132769/full |
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