pediatrics
Precocious Puberty
Symptoms and Signs of Precocious Puberty
Physical changes are typically those of normal puberty for a child of that sex, with the exception of age of onset. In girls, breasts develop, and pubic hair, axillary hair, or both appear. Girls may begin to menstruate. In boys, facial, axillary, and pubic hair appears and the penis grows, with or without enlargement of testes, depending on the etiology. Body odor, acne, and behavior changes may develop in either sex. Pubertal growth spurt is seen in both sexes (with early-mid puberty in females, mid-late puberty in males), but premature closure of the epiphyses results in short adult stature. Ovarian or testicular enlargement occurs in precocious puberty but is absent in isolated precocious adrenarche. 