In pediatric clinics, children with precocious puberty often come to the clinic. Many parents often stay up at night before coming, and have been searching the Internet for various precocious content. The network information is varied, and the more you look at it, the more afraid you are, which causes the whole family to be very anxious and worried about the development of children with such and such problems. When I arrived at the clinic, I couldn't help but shed tears, which was really pitiful to the hearts of parents in the world.
So what is precocious puberty and what are the dangers of precocious puberty? Why are parents so nervous? Today, Zhang Guiju, director of the Department of Pediatrics of Shandong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, came to talk to parents about the problems related to children's precocious puberty.
Regarding the development of puberty, there is such a record in the "Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic" more than 2,000 years ago: "A woman is seven years old, her kidneys are full, and her teeth are longer; two or seven days are decayed, Ren Pulse is through, Tai Chong Pulse is prosperous, and menstruation is now, so she has children." The husband is eight years old, the kidney qi is solid, the hair is long teeth more; the two eight, the kidney qi is full, the heavens are decoction, the essence is overflowing, the yin and yang are harmonious, so they can have children. "Under the living conditions at that time, girls had their first menarche in the thirteenth and fourth years, and boys had sperm at the age of fifteen or sixteen. Today's children have a rich diet and are well nourished, and puberty is sure to come early.
Medically, secondary sexual characteristic development is currently called precocious puberty in girls before the age of 8 and in boys before the age of 9, of which girls are most common.
Because of the early appearance of sex hormones in the body, resulting in the emergence of secondary sex characteristics, and the source of sex hormones is different divided into true precocious puberty and pseudoprecocious puberty, initiated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to cause an increase in sex hormones, is true precocious puberty. Hormones are derived from exogenous sources, such as ingestion or skin contact, and are pseudoprecocious. Same-sex secondary sexual characteristics are same-sex precocious puberty, such as breast development in girls. Manifestations of heterosexual secondary sexual characteristics are heterosexual precocious puberty, such as breast development in boys.
What are the dangers of precocious puberty?
First, the appearance of sex hormones, accelerated closure of the epiphysis, epiphysis closure of the height stops growing, resulting in undesirable lifelong height. Second, physical developmental signs that are different from those of children of the same age have an impact on the psychological development of some children. Third, due to the young age of girls, the physical discomfort of menstruation has a certain interference with learning and daily activities.
There are many causes of precocious puberty, and it is currently believed that the emergence of precocious puberty is related to genetics, diseases, diet, environment and other factors.
1. Genetic factors
There is a certain genetic predisposition to precocious puberty, and the presence of children with precocious puberty in the family, the early age of the mother's menarche, and the father's sexual precocious development may increase the risk of precocious puberty in children.
2. Disease factors
Diseases that affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis are likely to cause precocious puberty, such as hypothalamic tumors, pituitary tumors, ovarian mass lesions, adrenal hyperplasia, primary hypothyroidism, etc.
3. Dietary factors
Dietary issues are of great concern to parents, but there are many misunderstandings among parents in this regard.
Misconception 1: Anti-seasonal fruits and vegetables are ripened with hormones, which can lead to precocious puberty in children
The hormones used in anti-seasonal vegetables and fruits are plant growth regulators, not sex hormones, and the two are not the same in structure and function, so they will not lead to premature puberty. Humans do not have receptors for plant growth regulators, and plants do not have receptors for sex hormones, that is, "plant ripening agents" do not "ripen" people, and animal sex hormones cannot "ripen" plants.
Myth two: Broiler chickens use hormones, which can lead to precocious puberty in children
Rumors of hormones used in broiler chickens are widely circulated, but the reason why artificially bred chickens can be out of the pen is due to scientific and comprehensive breeding technology, not hormones. Sex hormones are prescription drugs, the price is more expensive, far more than the price of chicken, farmers will not give chicken use, so eating chicken normally will not lead to precocious puberty. But eating a lot of fried chicken, eating too many calories, leads to obesity, and there is a risk of inducing precocious puberty.
First of all, we should optimize the child's diet structure and avoid picky eating and partial food, such as partial meat, snacks, desserts, fried foods, etc. Dietary imbalances, combined with lack of exercise, lead to childhood obesity, which increases the risk of precocious puberty.
The second thing to pay attention to is dairy products. Milk is welcomed by parents because of its high protein and calcium content, and some parents believe that as long as the child drinks milk, the nutrition is comprehensive, so the child is forced to drink a lot of milk, even if he does not eat. Dairy products are high in fat and protein, and some estrogen can bind to protein in milk, so dairy estrogen levels will be relatively high. Domestic and foreign researchers have controversy over whether dairy products can cause precocious puberty, and some scholars have found through clinical research that excessive intake of dairy products may lead to early initiation of puberty. But at present, there is no conclusion from authoritative institutions on the relationship between dairy products and precocious puberty, and parents do not have to worry too much.
In terms of nutritional supplementation, milk is not the only food that contains calcium, nor is it the only food that contains high-quality protein. Babies must rely on milk to survive, and the older children have a lot of food options to choose from, and they don't have to rely on dairy products to supplement nutrition. If the child's bone age is too large, the epiphyseal is closed in advance, and no matter how to drink milk and calcium supplementation, the child cannot grow taller.
4. Other factors
Precocious puberty is correlated with the sleeping environment, cosmetic contact, electronic product stimulation, and the use of plastic products. Turning on the lamp to sleep will reduce the secretion of melatonin in the child's body, making it impossible to suppress the release of pituitary gonadotropin and increasing the risk of precocious puberty. The glare of electronics, combined with children browsing bad content, can also increase the risk of precocious puberty. If you come into contact with cosmetics, skin care products, etc. containing hormones, it is more likely to lead to premature sexual development. In addition, bisphenol A and phthalates in plastic products will also increase the risk of premature puberty.