scholarly journals Common Childhood Viruses and Pubertal Timing: The LEGACY Girls Study

Author(s):  
Jasmine A McDonald ◽  
Sinaida Cherubin ◽  
Mandy Goldberg ◽  
Ying Wei ◽  
Wendy K Chung ◽  
...  

Abstract Earlier pubertal development is only partially explained by childhood body mass index (BMI); the role of other factors like childhood infections is less understood. Using data from the LEGACY Girls Study (2011 – 2016), we prospectively examined the associations between childhood viral infections (Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1), HSV2 and pubertal timing. We measured exposures based on seropositivity in pre-menarcheal girls (n=490). Breast and pubic hair development were classified based on mother-reported Tanner Stage (TS: TS2+ compared with TS1), adjusting for age, BMI, and sociodemographic factors. The average age at first blood draw was 9.8 years (Stdev=1.9 years). The prevalences were 31% CMV+, 37% EBV+, 14% HSV1+, 0.4% HSV2+, and 16% for both CMV+/EBV+. CMV+ infection without co-infection was associated with developing breasts an average of 7 months earlier (Hazard Ratio (HR)=2.12, 95% CI 1.32, 3.40). CMV+ infection without co-infection and HSV1+ and/or HSV2+ infection were associated with developing pubic hair 9 months later (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24, 0.71, HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.22, 0.81, respectively). Infection was not associated with menarche. If replicated in larger cohorts with blood collection prior to any breast development, this study supports that childhood infections may play a role in altering pubertal timing.

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 2124-2133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Lykke Harrits Lunddorf ◽  
Nis Brix ◽  
Andreas Ernst ◽  
Linn H Arendt ◽  
Henrik Støvring ◽  
...  

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Do maternal hypertensive disorders affect pubertal development in daughters and sons? SUMMARY ANSWER Pubertal development tended to occur earlier in daughters of mothers with ‘preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome’ (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low blood platelets) or hypertension in pregnancy compared to daughters born of normotensive mothers. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The existing literature suggests some or no association between preeclampsia and pubertal development in daughters, but not in sons. None of the previous studies has investigated the possible association between other types of hypertensive disorders (hypertension, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome) and pubertal timing in children. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Longitudinal cohort study consisting of 15 819 mother–child pairs with information on maternal hypertensive disorders collected during pregnancy and information on pubertal development collected half-yearly from the age of 11 years and until fully developed or 18 years of age. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants are children from the Puberty Cohort nested within the Danish National Birth Cohort. The exposure was register-based and self-reported information on maternal hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The outcomes were children’s self-reported information on pubertal development, including Tanner stage 1–5 (pubic hair (both daughters and sons) and breast development (daughters) or genital development (sons)), first menstrual bleeding (daughters) or first ejaculation (sons), voice break episode (sons), axillary hair development and acne occurrence (both daughters and sons). The main outcome was mean difference in age at attaining each pubertal milestone and a combined pubertal marker in children of mothers with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (either hypertension (n = 490), ‘preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome’ (n = 419) or ‘unspecific hypertensive disorders’ (n = 334) with unexposed children as reference (n = 14 576)). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In daughters of mothers with ‘preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome’, we observed tendencies of earlier pubertal timing (combined marker: −2.0 (95% CI: −3.9; 0.0) months). In daughters of mothers with hypertension, several pubertal milestones tended to occur earlier than in daughters of normotensive mothers; however, all 95% CIs overlapped the null resulting in a combined pubertal marker of −1.0 (95% CI: −3.2; 1.1) months. In sons of mothers with any of the hypertensive disorders, we observed no difference in pubertal timing (combined markers: ‘preeclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome’: 0.1 (95% CI: −2.0; 2.1) months; hypertension: −0.6 (95% CI: −2.3; 1.1) months; ‘unspecific hypertensive disorders’: 0.2 (95% CI: −1.9; 2.2) months). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The study is subject to non-differential misclassification of self-reported information on maternal hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and current pubertal status; possibly causing bias toward the null. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy might accelerate pubertal timing in daughters; however, more studies are needed for causal conclusions. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) The study was funded by the Faculty of Health at Aarhus University. The authors have no financial relationships or competing interests to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 636-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. McDonald ◽  
S. M. Eng ◽  
O. O. Dina ◽  
C. M. Schooling ◽  
M. B. Terry

The decline in age of pubertal timing has serious public health implications ranging from psychosocial adjustment problems to a possible increase in reproductive cancers. One biologically plausible explanation for the decline is a decrease in exposures to infections. To systematically review studies that assess the role of infection in pubertal timing, Medline, Web of Science and EMBASE were systematically searched and retrieved studies were reviewed for eligibility. Eligible studies examined the association between infections, including microbial exposures, and physical pubertal characteristics (breast, genitalia and pubic hair development) or age at menarche. We excluded studies that were published in a language other than English, focused on precocious puberty, were case studies, and/or included youth with autoimmune diseases. We report on study design, population characteristics, measurement of infection and puberty and the main effects of infection on pubertal development. Based on our search terms we identified 1372 unique articles, of which only 15 human and five animal studies met our eligibility criteria. Not all studies examined all outcomes. Infection was associated with later breast development (4/4 human studies), with less consistent evidence for genitalia and pubic hair development. Seven studies assessed age at menarche with inconsistent findings (three supporting later, four no association). We conclude that a small but consistent literature supports that infection is associated with later breast development; the evidence for other pubertal events and age at menarche is less clear. Where fewer childhood infections coincide with the rise in incidence of hormone-related cancers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-112
Author(s):  
Poly Begum ◽  
Dipti Rani Saha ◽  
Md Kamrul Hassan

The parents of a 04-year-old girl bring her to a Gynaecologist because of breast development, appearance of pubic hair and periodic per vaginal bleeding. Her medical history is unremarkable. The parents are of average height, and the mother reports first menstruating when she was 11 years old. At physical examination, the girl is 100 cm tall , weighs 17 kg, and has a bodymass index of 17. Her pubertal development is classified as Tanner stage 3 breast development and Tanner stage 2 pubic hair development. She was diagnosed as a case of precocious puberity. Appearance of secondary sexual development before the age of 9 in a male child and before the age of 8 in a female child is called precocious puberty. When the cause of precocious puberty is premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, it is called central or complete precocious puberty and she was a case of central precocious puberty. After proper consult she was treated by GnRHa suppressor of pituitary till 11 years of age.Bangladesh J Obstet Gynaecol, 2015; Vol. 30(2) : 109-112


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-163
Author(s):  
Poly Begum ◽  
Dipti Rani Saha ◽  
Md Kamrul Hassan

Appearance of secondary sexual development before the age of nine in a male child and before the age of eight in a female child is called precocious puberty. Precocious puberty due to premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is called central or complete precocious puberty. Incomplete precocious puberty is called if ectopic gonadotrophin secretion occurs in boys or autonomous sex steroid secretion occurs in either sex. Here we report a case of a 4-year-old girl brought to a gynecologist by her parents because of breast development, pubic hair and periodic per vaginal bleeding. Her medical history was unremarkable. The parents were of average height, and the mother reported first menstruation when she was 11 years. At physical examination, the girl was 100 cm tall, weighed 17 kg, and had a body mass index of 17. Her pubertal development is classified as Tanner stage 3 breast development and Tanner stage 2 pubic hair development.J Enam Med Col 2016; 6(3): 161-163


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Liu ◽  
Karen E. Peterson ◽  
Brisa N. Sánchez ◽  
Andrew D. Jones ◽  
Alejandra Cantoral ◽  
...  

Alterations in pubertal timing have been associated with long-term health outcomes. While a few reports have shown that dietary intake of selenium is associated with fertility and testosterone levels in men, no human studies have considered the association between selenium and pubertal development in children. We examined the cross-sectional association of childhood dietary intake of selenium with pubertal development among 274 girls and 245 boys aged 10–18 years in Mexico City. Multiple logistic and ordinal regression models were used to capture the association between energy-adjusted selenium intake (below Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) vs. above RDA) and stages of sexual maturity in children, adjusted for covariates. We found that boys with consumption of selenium below the RDA had lower odds of a higher stage for pubic hair growth (odds ratio (OR) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.27–0.97) and genital development (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.28–0.99) as well as a lower probability of having matured testicular volume (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15–0.88) compared with boys who had adequate daily dietary intake of selenium (above RDA). No associations were found in girls. According to our results, it is possible that inadequate consumption of selenium may be associated with later pubertal development in boys, suggesting a sex-specific pattern. Future work with a larger sample size and measures of selenium biomarkers is needed to confirm our findings and improve understanding of the role of this mineral in children’s sexual development.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giampaolo Papi ◽  
Rosa Maria Paragliola ◽  
Paola Concolino ◽  
Carlo Di Donato ◽  
Alfredo Pontecorvi ◽  
...  

Context.Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive disease due to specific enzyme deficiencies in the adrenal steroidogenesis pathway.Case Description.A 40-year-old Chinese woman was referred to the Endocrine Unit for the work-up of a syndrome characterized by long-lasting and multidrug resistant high blood pressure, severe hypokalemia with metabolic alkalosis, and primary amenorrhea. The patient presented with sexual infantilism, lack of breast development, absence of axillary and pubic hair, tall stature, and slenderness. CT scan revealed enlarged adrenal glands bilaterally and the absence of the uterus, the ovaries, and the Fallopian tubes. Furthermore, diffuse osteopenia and osteoporosis and incomplete ossification of the growth plate cartilages were demonstrated. Chromosomal analysis showed a normal male 46,XY, karyotype, and on molecular analysis of theCYP17A1gene she resulted homozygous for the g.4869T>A; g.4871delC (p.Y329Kfs?) mutation in exon 6. Hydrocortisone and ethinyl-estradiol supplementation therapy led to incomplete withdrawal of antihypertensive drug and breast development progression to Tanner stage B2 and slight height increase, respectively.Conclusions.We describe a late-discovered case of CAH with 46,XY disorder of sex development. Deficiency of 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase due to a homozygous CYP17A1 gene mutation was the underlying cause. Laboratory, imaging, and genetic features are herein reported and discussed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251598
Author(s):  
Mandy Goldberg ◽  
Anna J. Ciesielski Jones ◽  
John A. McGrath ◽  
Christie Barker-Cummings ◽  
Deborah S. Cousins ◽  
...  

Background Many studies investigating pubertal development use Tanner staging to assess maturation. Endocrine markers in urine and saliva may provide an objective, sensitive, and non-invasive method for assessing development. Objective Our objective was to examine whether changes in endocrine levels can indicate the onset of pubertal development prior to changes in self-rated Tanner stage. Methods Thirty-five girls and 42 boys aged 7 to 15 years were enrolled in the Growth and Puberty (GAP) study, a longitudinal pilot study conducted from 2007–2009 involving children of women enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) in Iowa. We collected saliva and urine samples and assessed pubertal development by self-rated Tanner staging (pubic hair, breast development (girls), genital development (boys)) at three visits over six months. We measured dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in saliva and creatinine-adjusted luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estrone 3-glucuronide (E13G) and pregnanediol 3-glucuronide (Pd3G) concentrations in first morning urine. We evaluated the relationships over time between Tanner stage and each biomarker using repeated measures analysis. Results Among girls still reporting Tanner breast stage 1 at the final visit, FSH levels increased over the 6-month follow-up period and were no longer lower than higher stage girls at the end of follow-up. We observed a similar pattern for testosterone in boys. By visit 3, boys still reporting Tanner genital stage 1 or pubic hair stage 1 had attained DHEA levels that were comparable to those among boys reporting Tanner stages 2 or 3. Conclusions Increasing concentrations of FSH in girls and DHEA and testosterone in boys over a 6-month period revealed the start of the pubertal process prior to changes in self-rated Tanner stage. Repeated, non-invasive endocrine measures may complement the more subjective assessment of physical markers in studies determining pubertal onset.


2006 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 3377-3381 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Hernández ◽  
A. Martínez ◽  
T. Capurro ◽  
V. Peña ◽  
L. Trejo ◽  
...  

Abstract Context: There are limited and controversial data concerning puberty characteristics in girls born small for gestational age (SGA). Objective: The objective of the study was to document clinical, ultrasonographic, and biochemical characteristics at the beginning of puberty in matched healthy girls born either SGA or appropriate for gestational age (AGA) recruited from the community. Patients: Inclusion criteria were breast Tanner stage II and a body mass index between the 10th and 95th percentiles. Interventions: Recruited subjects underwent a complete physical exam, bone age, and ultrasound measurements of the internal genitalia. Hormonal assessment included fasting early morning dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, SHBG, inhibin-B, FSH, LH, estradiol (E2), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OH Prog), and testosterone. Thereafter, a GnRH agonist test (leuprolide 500 μg, sc) was performed with FSH and LH at time 3 and 24 h for E2, 17OH Prog, and testosterone. Results: Sixty-five girls (35 AGA, 30 SGA) with a mean age of 9.9 ± 1.03 (7.8–12.5) yr, similar bone age/chronological age (1.02 ± 0.8 in AGA and 1 ± 0.76 in SGA), median height of 1.35 ± 0.06 cm, and similar waist to hip ratio were included. No differences in the presence of pubic hair, axillary hair, apocrine odor, or ultrasound measurements were found. SGA girls had increased baseline E2 as well as stimulated E2 and 17OH Prog. Conclusions: In a preliminary sample of lean, healthy girls recruited from the community born either SGA or AGA, we observed slight hormonal differences at the beginning of puberty. Longitudinal follow-up of this cohort will allow us to understand whether these differences are maintained and have a clinical impact in their pubertal development.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 763-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ernst ◽  
Lea Lykke B. Lauridsen ◽  
Nis Brix ◽  
Camilla Kjersgaard ◽  
Jørn Olsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background We evaluated the inter-rater agreement between self-assessed Tanner staging and clinical examination and the intra-individual agreement of self-assessed information on various puberty markers in late adolescents from the longitudinal nationwide Puberty Cohort, a sub-cohort of the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC). Methods We invited 715 children from the ongoing Puberty Cohort between June 2016 and January 2017. In total, 366 children (51%) returned an add-on questionnaire identical to the questionnaire used to collect information on puberty markers, including Tanner staging, in the Puberty Cohort. Of these, 197 (54%) also participated in a clinical examination with Tanner staging. We used percentage agreement and weighted kappa statistics to evaluate the inter-rater and intra-individual agreement. Results Due to late entry, more than 75% of children were Tanner stage 4 or above at clinical examination. In girls, the inter-rater agreement for pubic hair and breast staging was 54% and 52%, respectively, yielding weighted kappas of fair strength. In boys, pubic hair and genital staging agreed in 55% and 33%, respectively, corresponding to weighted kappas of fair to moderate strength. Boys tended to underestimate genitalia staging consistently. The intra-individual agreement on Tanner staging was 75–77% in girls and 69% in boys, whereas the intra-individual agreement on axillary hair and acne was above 92%. Conclusions Self-assessment of late stages of pubertal development may be misclassified, leading to random errors in studies of puberty timing. However, self-assessment continues to serve as an important time- and cost-saving tool in large prospective puberty cohorts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein Barendse ◽  
Michelle L Byrne ◽  
John Coleman Flournoy ◽  
Elizabeth A. McNeilly ◽  
Victoria Guazzelli Williamson ◽  
...  

Objective: Early pubertal timing has consistently been associated with internalizing psychopathology in adolescent girls. Here, we aimed to examine whether the association between timing and mental health outcomes varies by measurement of pubertal timing and internalizing psychopathology, differs between adrenarcheal and gonadarcheal processes, and is stronger concurrently or prospectively. Methods: We assessed 174 female adolescents (age 10.0-13.0 at Time 1) twice, with an 18-month interval. Participants provided self-reported assessments of depression/anxiety symptoms and pubertal development, subjective pubertal timing, and date of menarche. Their parents/guardians also reported on the adolescent’s pubertal development and subjective pubertal timing. We assessed salivary DHEA, testosterone and estradiol levels, and conducted clinical interviews to determine the presence of case level (DSM-IV and HiTOP) internalizing disorders. From these data, we computed 12 measures of pubertal timing at both time points, as well as 7 measures of internalizing psychopathology, and entered these in a Specification Curve Analysis. Results and Conclusion: Overall, earlier pubertal timing was associated with increased internalizing psychopathology cross-sectionally and prospectively. However, results varied by measure of pubertal timing and psychopathology, with the strongest associations when pubertal timing was based on the Tanner Stage Line Drawings and when the outcome was case-level DSM-IV depression or HiTOP distress disorders. Timing based on hormone levels was not associated with internalizing psychopathology, suggesting that psychosocial mechanisms, captured by timing measures of visible physical characteristics, are more meaningful determinants of internalizing psychopathology than biological ones in early adolescent girls. Future research should precisely measure and test these psychosocial mechanisms.


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