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Sexual Precocity in a 16-Month-Old/ X; Z$ Z$ P+ Q& ~1 t# S D1 b) s
Boy Induced by Indirect Topical
/ W: A1 s6 r2 k5 N, A \Exposure to Testosterone( i" w* F& {9 d( p3 E; O5 n; b, V# {0 a
Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,1 Tracy Ricke, MD,2, w1 i% K! H& b, ^; M$ u
and Kenneth R. Rettig, MD1
4 [- g4 K; [; e( ?0 gClinical Pediatrics
|( J: c" R7 {Volume 46 Number 6
2 A* a2 f4 _) W% O2 N% j! @1 \: KJuly 2007 540-543
" K) @ g& C7 c8 \% D/ M' f© 2007 Sage Publications" s& ?3 R0 u* r9 S
10.1177/00099228062966513 O9 z2 s Y$ v& s$ j# I7 S6 N
http://clp.sagepub.com
3 w* n4 @. Q( p& B- Shosted at
0 J; }) R2 V% K% c( _http://online.sagepub.com
4 b8 m O/ \6 V B+ x. c3 GPrecocious puberty in boys, central or peripheral,
; T0 s5 |/ C Y, ~% ~' j7 bis a significant concern for physicians. Central/ |) H% q% [0 F# k. p' \, p
precocious puberty (CPP), which is mediated8 c& Y4 _5 G0 u5 `1 D# Q6 m
through the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, has6 X: N \6 z& ?% p9 A. ]) P+ Z
a higher incidence of organic central nervous system' @8 m, C1 h% h& u: o
lesions in boys.1,2 Virilization in boys, as manifested( L' r0 |2 s ]. j
by enlargement of the penis, development of pubic, V- @) i9 L2 a* Y1 j8 Q* V
hair, and facial acne without enlargement of testi-
6 G" M4 l1 ?: V, ?& Y5 U. c; Fcles, suggests peripheral or pseudopuberty.1-3 We
0 b' v3 w# ^( n) \- J9 treport a 16-month-old boy who presented with the# `9 ~2 d# ?0 U% w+ ^
enlargement of the phallus and pubic hair develop-
9 z W5 I2 j5 v4 O: F2 ~ment without testicular enlargement, which was due& o C, C+ S9 x* S" E+ G# w( O
to the unintentional exposure to androgen gel used by
9 }; F$ J1 L1 R, I& s- athe father. The family initially concealed this infor-
9 |+ N2 I% O9 f4 Xmation, resulting in an extensive work-up for this6 M B) J; N+ A6 @& @5 W
child. Given the widespread and easy availability of
- E$ q5 J) c# k7 O9 ?testosterone gel and cream, we believe this is proba-
4 p1 ~2 D0 e ably more common than the rare case report in the' ?& I" t4 `/ K, D+ Y
literature.4( c( ]9 |5 f0 P! s- S
Patient Report! a0 F' N' d. ^6 g7 Z7 U
A 16-month-old white child was referred to the
* i1 \2 ?% Z8 @endocrine clinic by his pediatrician with the concern3 n9 H# M1 S) `3 o
of early sexual development. His mother noticed5 R7 \6 M( r" \8 c5 }% C( y h. ?
light colored pubic hair development when he was
" a& c5 \1 Y! @, d% A; U: N" bFrom the 1Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2University of8 g0 F- P! r+ w8 D( z- k
South Alabama Medical Center, Mobile, Alabama.) U$ F$ A* |" H. q7 {" a8 o' v
Address correspondence to: Samar K. Bhowmick, MD, FACE,; ?% V" h, r4 V p# b2 [
Professor of Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, College of
& ?3 f ~" _1 B6 eMedicine, 2451 Fillingim St. Mastin 212, Mobile, AL 36617-2297;
& m1 U2 p7 J/ p. y! W/ Qe-mail: [email protected].
. X3 [1 L- R! G8 Babout 6 to 7 months old, which progressively became
/ |* h3 F& Z3 M0 pdarker. She was also concerned about the enlarge-0 v7 h, c+ i' x1 y
ment of his penis and frequent erections. The child! P( g0 t# ^( {8 z& p) ~' s1 z4 F
was the product of a full-term normal delivery, with
: C8 C( w3 [0 P6 z' ea birth weight of 7 lb 14 oz, and birth length of) B5 t8 \+ r8 `4 S
20 inches. He was breast-fed throughout the first year
! n- e7 E' ^" h; Y, S$ Oof life and was still receiving breast milk along with
2 G0 g4 ^+ {! n( T9 J' N6 xsolid food. He had no hospitalizations or surgery,
' G N: L9 f; y& {and his psychosocial and psychomotor development
$ G- o2 q/ j& g" D, Q3 ]4 V1 Mwas age appropriate.
( A3 o4 Y {8 w8 E2 M: `The family history was remarkable for the father,
- [8 Z) s3 H) ~0 Z& ?, {. Mwho was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at age 16,! C. N" O% y9 i3 ~; s
which was treated with thyroxine. The father’s( F) l) {- i, E
height was 6 feet, and he went through a somewhat
- [" S" _; x7 c( u. `8 {' N0 [ c& t8 m; gearly puberty and had stopped growing by age 14.
" Z/ T- Y8 V/ [. | w! P' ^6 zThe father denied taking any other medication. The
% }; d2 O+ T- F& w) v- R3 a( qchild’s mother was in good health. Her menarche
/ |7 g( h& ~% A u1 ] U9 N* Dwas at 11 years of age, and her height was at 5 feet: T" T; v5 A- i# [" Y( L5 O
5 inches. There was no other family history of pre-
. [& z$ J( B2 \' a# ]! Fcocious sexual development in the first-degree rela-
/ W- I7 I* `6 T7 y. Q8 s }tives. There were no siblings.8 L3 C1 B0 W T2 L
Physical Examination
) e! i0 L* p z6 i% }The physical examination revealed a very active,0 g: K: t' d* Y8 `( H+ t! o
playful, and healthy boy. The vital signs documented
, r, ^/ x0 g+ |" |5 Ua blood pressure of 85/50 mm Hg, his length was: Z5 c+ z( T0 h' p3 K9 ?
90 cm (>97th percentile), and his weight was 14.4 kg
, }, k5 t$ D" {(also >97th percentile). The observed yearly growth
: ^: S: R* {1 D1 Svelocity was 30 cm (12 inches). The examination of0 Z. V: f) Q$ }3 N; x0 f( l x& ^
the neck revealed no thyroid enlargement.( v% |( q$ d: _% e0 b( z
The genitourinary examination was remarkable for3 c3 e& n/ a, A' X7 k, N
enlargement of the penis, with a stretched length of0 U: h2 y S% w- p5 z0 d9 x
8 cm and a width of 2 cm. The glans penis was very well7 o/ l, X7 P, x0 d' J
developed. The pubic hair was Tanner II, mostly around
# \; T2 `' U) S' k540
- s0 Q1 h! N+ ]( Nat University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
3 {4 B- k: o) m: I: S8 p4 mthe base of the phallus and was dark and curled. The7 w; o( H3 y6 i
testicular volume was prepubertal at 2 mL each.
: d$ R/ N% Q3 y# z2 H6 G8 F$ I: W0 i- nThe skin was moist and smooth and somewhat% x& s0 W$ Y% H9 _3 y$ N
oily. No axillary hair was noted. There were no
4 h$ H+ @, T8 c. A* P, C! U9 Iabnormal skin pigmentations or café-au-lait spots.
# b6 Q w/ |2 e) T) y S7 c L4 p+ }Neurologic evaluation showed deep tendon reflex 2+
* A3 R; n" @- X& k4 t, ybilateral and symmetrical. There was no suggestion
) A4 d5 H1 K0 ] x1 r0 Tof papilledema.0 @! E# J6 {. w, E
Laboratory Evaluation
3 H: v: B v6 [! S# s% V; HThe bone age was consistent with 28 months by
3 {9 S/ f6 K- k, b, eusing the standard of Greulich and Pyle at a chrono-
2 X0 ~, I2 m0 b. ~7 }; L! p! F& ?logic age of 16 months (advanced).5 Chromosomal
; W! D) ]$ C/ G: E- Q2 P5 qkaryotype was 46XY. The thyroid function test
( H: R( [1 _! C" O& Vshowed a free T4 of 1.69 ng/dL, and thyroid stimu-2 w1 @6 o6 b( Z( ], \* f9 N
lating hormone level was 1.3 µIU/mL (both normal).
7 A7 q) p& o7 @0 X" xThe concentrations of serum electrolytes, blood4 F: k7 o: A; l& f2 N; Y8 @/ _& N4 o
urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium all were p9 h: y, a1 V3 R7 S' i9 U
within normal range for his age. The concentration
- i; Z- M) W( jof serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone was 16 ng/dL' B3 |& B% }/ Z3 ^8 H
(normal, 3 to 90 ng/dL), androstenedione was 20
( m5 M! Q$ J* Y! G3 D5 h: a+ Kng/dL (normal, 18 to 80 ng/dL), dehydroepiandros-# }# p$ ^) o; }) s
terone was 38 ng/dL (normal, 50 to 760 ng/dL),
7 p6 A7 H% [9 }0 Q* }desoxycorticosterone was 4.3 ng/dL (normal, 7 to2 v) {! i5 G+ j
49ng/dL), 11-desoxycortisol (specific compound S)7 M) s4 c7 h8 `( S7 O& ]: a x
was 43 ng/dL (normal, 10 to 156 ng/dL), serum cor-! @8 z8 `8 v% C- M2 d; s
tisol was 7.6 µg/dL (normal, 2.8 to 23 µg/dL), total
, c7 K% X( ?+ p: c/ B4 `+ f4 X, Mtestosterone was 60 ng/dL (normal <3 to 10 ng/dL),* A4 W8 u# k v: `1 _. \# d1 a
and β-human chorionic gonadotropin was less than4 X. t1 b- H* t0 ?$ b/ B/ x5 x4 A
5 mIU/mL (normal <5 mIU/mL). Serum follicular* Z) L% t* l# n( o) j3 A+ P" y
stimulating hormone and leuteinizing hormone
( l, ^$ Y: Z1 a, }* J0 r1 g9 p5 Iconcentrations were less than 0.05 mIU/mL; y& W# i; O# A/ ^
(prepubertal).
: z. k/ n* J2 D3 I; V4 DThe parents were notified about the laboratory
1 }% E1 O1 E, Cresults and were informed that all of the tests were5 O3 B" {; N+ Q d P* N! T
normal except the testosterone level was high. The
% c* O+ r# M0 T' b: ~! e6 K% G, Tfollow-up visit was arranged within a few weeks to
6 u! R: z0 ?5 b* e- r3 e0 X) mobtain testicular and abdominal sonograms; how-: ~/ a4 M: a0 W5 ^% n! k
ever, the family did not return for 4 months.. K0 B8 k/ `) Y& x! P/ s
Physical examination at this time revealed that the
! J7 z% E+ ~& l$ Zchild had grown 2.5 cm in 4 months and had gained
$ J6 _% p! J$ C$ s7 D2 P5 _1 j2 kg of weight. Physical examination remained
3 u$ b: }* E( n5 \* \) G2 ounchanged. Surprisingly, the pubic hair almost com-
( T+ g' D. v, P& N$ r/ dpletely disappeared except for a few vellous hairs at9 \1 X, D/ A6 k" h: u
the base of the phallus. Testicular volume was still 21 A% c9 z* F/ U% w
mL, and the size of the penis remained unchanged.
* r p$ E8 l& I) j/ TThe mother also said that the boy was no longer hav-3 R1 ~, G7 @ M
ing frequent erections.0 K* o2 _6 w$ U: B+ E2 y; t
Both parents were again questioned about use of2 A; s+ I' F6 g3 t
any ointment/creams that they may have applied to/ t$ D0 C8 m6 o1 U+ V- s: [+ M
the child’s skin. This time the father admitted the
+ Z) y& t0 Y. H ?! ETopical Testosterone Exposure / Bhowmick et al 541
% ]' w2 |1 B9 L" H: A# Uuse of testosterone gel twice daily that he was apply-# \# n* a" ~! y/ J7 h
ing over his own shoulders, chest, and back area for
4 J: Q* |/ ]. } K* Da year. The father also revealed he was embarrassed
+ n5 i. G& J; u( N& M- _& {- Jto disclose that he was using a testosterone gel pre-
w/ h2 C+ z1 f- } k9 i% Yscribed by his family physician for decreased libido
: `! [6 P0 R" `. h8 U! P! r- Rsecondary to depression.
8 l, p. m. e6 L: f+ d, E/ }The child slept in the same bed with parents.
y& N6 y. {+ F( k8 {6 x% MThe father would hug the baby and hold him on his
, ?6 S/ O* S+ C" `+ D9 V, x. Jchest for a considerable period of time, causing sig-. {2 }6 x( |% A) O4 ]1 ~
nificant bare skin contact between baby and father." h: j1 p' @# A* I6 [ s1 G
The father also admitted that after the phone call,. y. d, ]# F# K! O, ?
when he learned the testosterone level in the baby5 R( `0 a/ [3 m3 ]) J; F
was high, he then read the product information* |7 R; z/ z& d+ G! Z
packet and concluded that it was most likely the rea-
6 R( x: ~# J* @2 i, l; _son for the child’s virilization. At that time, they
* n9 [- g2 h( A0 edecided to put the baby in a separate bed, and the+ x' q& D9 H. N! E
father was not hugging him with bare skin and had# S2 y4 q+ `, Z3 S; S, m# s
been using protective clothing. A repeat testosterone
9 [, t+ x+ l: Y8 Y; Q/ btest was ordered, but the family did not go to the
+ \- ?7 L4 x% I! m* i# Ilaboratory to obtain the test.
- }& {+ Q/ C' iDiscussion2 h& ^ N/ K& _- J" b3 a- y
Precocious puberty in boys is defined as secondary& E8 z" `1 e# F$ J9 a
sexual development before 9 years of age.1,4
! k7 G7 B H" \# k! iPrecocious puberty is termed as central (true) when
/ z. G" ]* \3 [1 `4 B/ Y9 ~, Tit is caused by the premature activation of hypo-
, T) y+ x0 B8 |* }9 Pthalamic pituitary gonadal axis. CPP is more com-/ C0 p- E9 _2 A
mon in girls than in boys.1,3 Most boys with CPP1 z4 s8 ]. x% K: l! I
may have a central nervous system lesion that is
6 |/ }8 G( i t, Y% m5 H. Yresponsible for the early activation of the hypothal-
6 `2 p$ C7 K" }7 q' ~amic pituitary gonadal axis.1-3 Thus, greater empha-
1 L/ x7 o5 u' B9 t+ ? {2 Ksis has been given to neuroradiologic imaging in+ [. M! J8 K8 d! O
boys with precocious puberty. In addition to viril-
$ [$ K2 T' ?3 E; Vization, the clinical hallmark of CPP is the symmet-. V+ H8 q+ i( u8 h3 }1 N
rical testicular growth secondary to stimulation by
6 j# B5 M; D# [8 @$ h4 B0 s! Hgonadotropins.1,3
7 b7 l4 L* _: X: k- i7 hGonadotropin-independent peripheral preco-% T" u/ |; `; p4 u
cious puberty in boys also results from inappropriate
* e: \. L) s3 ]& X8 candrogenic stimulation from either endogenous or9 ^! l) x+ Y/ X* S# I0 h }
exogenous sources, nonpituitary gonadotropin stim-7 b& j. y3 j# |4 o* I5 a. `$ t
ulation, and rare activating mutations.3 Virilizing- b- D. d1 r. u, g5 W$ n9 E* c0 W
congenital adrenal hyperplasia producing excessive4 D+ Z$ C9 s1 G; O' V
adrenal androgens is a common cause of precocious, |8 Y3 v" t: }' E' O
puberty in boys.3,45 r' \3 w5 k5 |# ]. @& ?
The most common form of congenital adrenal
9 u% o( j* [; p" l, }" ]3 Qhyperplasia is the 21-hydroxylase enzyme deficiency.( n8 k* T+ ~1 S7 T, j( e
The 11-β hydroxylase deficiency may also result in$ {9 X p7 Z! r3 I6 p
excessive adrenal androgen production, and rarely,! q% V& A5 w W7 S
an adrenal tumor may also cause adrenal androgen
# H) D) [; Q% U2 ?excess.1,3# s% b+ F$ b3 `' V9 @7 R* ~; q
at University of Manchester Library on May 25, 2015 cpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from
' U+ O" e2 r, z% v542 Clinical Pediatrics / Vol. 46, No. 6, July 2007
! \6 G2 S1 y* i/ }A unique entity of male-limited gonadotropin-5 N4 ~4 R6 ^" u" J) [6 y
independent precocious puberty, which is also known$ D1 D. U2 U5 f7 u8 J2 ^& k7 ]
as testotoxicosis, may cause precocious puberty at a7 W, c2 B$ g! l4 o, F
very young age. The physical findings in these boys' Z2 y9 t: w& Q. m
with this disorder are full pubertal development,
4 x# z9 S: P% t* _) A2 H' oincluding bilateral testicular growth, similar to boys
7 o4 x1 O: F3 N5 I% y2 F! a. k) rwith CPP. The gonadotropin levels in this disorder
& u- h! R& V* y' ware suppressed to prepubertal levels and do not show
7 c1 V5 k& \- w% [$ Bpubertal response of gonadotropin after gonadotropin-- P9 t4 P8 s3 j3 d k
releasing hormone stimulation. This is a sex-linked1 o+ B. g0 ?8 h1 a( ` Z% i* B) `
autosomal dominant disorder that affects only
4 p* G$ l3 K( L* h% ]! gmales; therefore, other male members of the family
3 U+ V' i& n) O+ s. d$ w _may have similar precocious puberty.3/ c. X% i7 Q4 x n F* m+ F
In our patient, physical examination was incon-
4 [# ?/ ~2 q, `2 K3 [( zsistent with true precocious puberty since his testi-' T$ W" f8 D% R2 d
cles were prepubertal in size. However, testotoxicosis* \, ]+ p; r# a; k' q1 p% _% v3 G
was in the differential diagnosis because his father
+ A1 o" z* i7 x0 Zstarted puberty somewhat early, and occasionally,( a$ m# A2 H: Y/ j' m0 \
testicular enlargement is not that evident in the
* d% W- }8 ^% i6 e# g, A2 B& Jbeginning of this process.1 In the absence of a neg-# u1 i0 m/ ]' k( {5 V
ative initial history of androgen exposure, our6 B" t7 A0 h+ S4 ^
biggest concern was virilizing adrenal hyperplasia,
/ ~ K8 ~- q% n, G3 L4 e8 j1 ^either 21-hydroxylase deficiency or 11-β hydroxylase
' @2 V" D0 g3 u7 G" vdeficiency. Those diagnoses were excluded by find-
8 @& s% X' p! G/ o/ t& Z3 G* W: oing the normal level of adrenal steroids.
- G/ v7 _* Z1 G% I% C7 pThe diagnosis of exogenous androgens was strongly
3 U6 W: a% O, z; Rsuspected in a follow-up visit after 4 months because. Q+ y; R x, R" N
the physical examination revealed the complete disap-. X1 l, B: d" [/ z8 L! B
pearance of pubic hair, normal growth velocity, and
" ?. H' ]: K( H" B, odecreased erections. The father admitted using a testos-
0 G& m4 [4 L, m0 W9 Oterone gel, which he concealed at first visit. He was
0 Z, D- |/ V4 m2 ]" M. Nusing it rather frequently, twice a day. The Physicians’* s( S1 R$ I$ b% n g
Desk Reference, or package insert of this product, gel or
# ~6 I# {/ m. Wcream, cautions about dermal testosterone transfer to
9 k) K" U9 g. a/ @7 T! j8 O. Q' Vunprotected females through direct skin exposure.
$ k8 Y' F- M7 W C+ BSerum testosterone level was found to be 2 times the- {0 e! t, f9 i. p
baseline value in those females who were exposed to
5 b2 Y! N& S: E3 V: teven 15 minutes of direct skin contact with their male# d. t+ r e5 G9 m$ k
partners.6 However, when a shirt covered the applica-; y) T( S/ u% k/ h
tion site, this testosterone transfer was prevented.% E! _, i/ _2 f, y9 Q
Our patient’s testosterone level was 60 ng/mL,
# y9 c' F+ u4 u& N- b7 ?% i& [5 l$ gwhich was clearly high. Some studies suggest that0 D ^) n/ \1 u5 i: r( d
dermal conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestos-- i0 q2 c( z/ x# ~8 r$ j
terone, which is a more potent metabolite, is more
r7 x. I1 T# a0 iactive in young children exposed to testosterone
. e4 ]$ L9 S0 L8 qexogenously7; however, we did not measure a dihy-- p1 ]: @ V0 {' m1 _) ?& t
drotestosterone level in our patient. In addition to
6 V2 J* ?. O1 _% e( o3 ]' V5 p! N+ Svirilization, exposure to exogenous testosterone in
! a" S$ u% M1 e% w, ~$ [8 O. X# Jchildren results in an increase in growth velocity and' w$ D2 H* M5 L. p8 x
advanced bone age, as seen in our patient.. x" p! |& \2 T& S/ l
The long-term effect of androgen exposure during
. }; W- o' R, g# \early childhood on pubertal development and final
9 C3 [( {5 @$ N8 d+ l9 F* \adult height are not fully known and always remain4 x2 M' D$ D5 }' _
a concern. Children treated with short-term testos-
3 G' Y% \6 u2 h' y' g/ Xterone injection or topical androgen may exhibit some3 a6 k8 n( E9 B! H7 x( r
acceleration of the skeletal maturation; however, after
" ~" d: Z$ R: Xcessation of treatment, the rate of bone maturation+ K0 D1 Y, \9 ~* k! s. l
decelerates and gradually returns to normal.8,93 S H/ K+ y2 ]* O
There are conflicting reports and controversy2 f! m; u. A+ v
over the effect of early androgen exposure on adult
. _" I/ N$ W! X7 C, qpenile length.10,11 Some reports suggest subnormal
' u* P8 B, l ^/ d# N8 M# Jadult penile length, apparently because of downreg-# _6 l/ _% E( i2 {5 f+ }
ulation of androgen receptor number.10,12 However,5 h9 {* [! V$ a/ h& n1 b
Sutherland et al13 did not find a correlation between
' r0 g/ C: H0 Q! e" o% Z% ]% K# y! Gchildhood testosterone exposure and reduced adult4 E/ D: ]3 H* H2 y0 |3 s; h% P
penile length in clinical studies.5 ]2 Z( v4 D; i! K2 R" O3 b* {6 j
Nonetheless, we do not believe our patient is, B/ R; c% M9 q* K/ X+ x5 t' Q
going to experience any of the untoward effects from& S [ D4 I5 t* T" B$ C
testosterone exposure as mentioned earlier because9 G/ e5 Q. f& H, w
the exposure was not for a prolonged period of time.& }- y& @. j8 U, h
Although the bone age was advanced at the time of
1 h; x4 t* H/ r, G" a! Jdiagnosis, the child had a normal growth velocity at& E4 H2 X+ K5 Q. E9 m6 ?" E
the follow-up visit. It is hoped that his final adult
! }% v/ g& n# p$ g! B0 Xheight will not be affected.
& {5 x! @7 {; T1 wAlthough rarely reported, the widespread avail-9 N) C3 M( v) N/ v( n9 ~: z
ability of androgen products in our society may
/ h$ e3 W8 p* V5 M+ i7 Hindeed cause more virilization in male or female
, { D% u* V( d* xchildren than one would realize. Exposure to andro-& @ r7 [ T$ p: E" Y8 n
gen products must be considered and specific ques-9 V* G, f$ Q* Q& Z) g4 @8 H6 o. f( b
tioning about the use of a testosterone product or" G6 m% p* l# D0 d/ P; D
gel should be asked of the family members during/ ]2 ]( U' U! s, @; ]
the evaluation of any children who present with vir-
) O6 f# t8 y$ c0 A+ Ailization or peripheral precocious puberty. The diag-
5 G/ M2 H F5 E8 t Bnosis can be established by just a few tests and by
2 V3 ~$ h9 j& i0 u0 Pappropriate history. The inability to obtain such a
0 ~( g2 t, E9 }* Y2 r" {8 mhistory, or failure to ask the specific questions, may2 ]/ N; a- h0 x% i3 k' g) e
result in extensive, unnecessary, and expensive
7 k; u4 L5 ^8 K5 b6 kinvestigation. The primary care physician should be! i$ U X+ |7 S W1 M3 S7 b
aware of this fact, because most of these children% |! V5 k* p7 f+ q: L9 m" i
may initially present in their practice. The Physicians’5 Q# x% W6 n( b, g+ X
Desk Reference and package insert should also put a. i, H/ _: }8 @* ^ S( T
warning about the virilizing effect on a male or4 s, K: s! \9 M" w: `9 @9 `; B
female child who might come in contact with some-. Y% u4 ~, A( D
one using any of these products.7 S8 b/ t ]% z3 O! ]/ l- y) x
References7 T0 v0 k# ~0 h& c0 a
1. Styne DM. The testes: disorder of sexual differentiation# K( K( }5 }# S
and puberty in the male. In: Sperling MA, ed. Pediatric) ? ]1 U) x; [0 M
Endocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders;
! D. t/ ^6 r6 \; D+ R" D2002: 565-628.
8 h: \: Z( r# \' N4 L1 R! H2. Rivarola M, Belgorosky A, Mendilaharzu H, et al. Precocious
! V# N$ b. q( s8 N# @puberty in children with tumours of the suprasellar pineal |
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