Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this video, I will begin my coverage of key endocrine disorders within the pediatric population. If you have our Level Up RN pediatric nursing flashcards, I am just starting on the endocrine system. Specifically, in this video, I'll be talking about precocious puberty. And at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a little quiz to test your knowledge of some of the key points I'll be covering, so definitely stay tuned for that.
Precocious puberty is defined as sexual maturity that begins earlier than normal, so before the age of 8 for females and before the age of 9 for males. This leads to the development of secondary sex characteristics. So for females, this includes pubic hair, breast development, and menstruation. And in males, this includes pubic and facial hair, enlargement of the testicles and penis, as well as muscle growth and deepening of the voice. As a review, the hypothalamus produces gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which causes the pituitary gland to produce luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. And then this causes the ovaries to produce estrogen and the testicles to produce testosterone. And it is primarily these hormones that cause the development of secondary sex characteristics. So precocious puberty is typically idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown. However, it may be caused due to a tumor or other disorder that causes the early secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone or the early secretion of estrogen or testosterone.
In terms of diagnosis, the provider will review the child's medical history and perform a physical exam, and then blood tests will likely be ordered to measure hormone levels in the body, such as luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, as well as testosterone or estradiol. A GnRH stimulation test may also be ordered to make sure the pituitary gland is responding appropriately to GnRH. And then an MRI of the brain may also be ordered in order to check for abnormalities in the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland. Treatment of precocious puberty is often not required, but GnRH analog therapy can be used to delay further development of secondary sex characteristics. And if the child has a tumor which is causing precocious puberty, then the child's treatment plan will likely include surgical excision of the tumor.
All right. It's quiz time, and I've got three questions for you.
Question number 1, which hormone in females and which hormone in males are responsible for the development of secondary sex characteristics? The answer is estrogen in females and testosterone in males.
Question number 2, precocious puberty is defined as sexual maturity that occurs before age blank for females and age blank for males. The answer is age 8 for females and age 9 for males.
Question number 3, the most common cause of precocious puberty is a brain tumor, true or false? The answer is false. Most cases are idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown.
All right. That is it for this video. Thank you so much for watching. Take care and good luck with studying.
