The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic

Objective: The timing of pubertal onset is a complex biological process influenced by various factors, many of which remain poorly understood. A notable increase in early puberty cases was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated girls presenting with early or precocious puberty b...

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Main Authors: Esin Karakılıç Özturan, Aslı Berru Arslan Özden, Tuğçe Kandemir, Şükran Poyrazoğlu, Firdevs Baş, Fatma Feyza Darendeliler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2024-12-01
Series:Çocuk Dergisi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/CC2C7258143A445CBD0E9273D9E38098
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author Esin Karakılıç Özturan
Aslı Berru Arslan Özden
Tuğçe Kandemir
Şükran Poyrazoğlu
Firdevs Baş
Fatma Feyza Darendeliler
author_facet Esin Karakılıç Özturan
Aslı Berru Arslan Özden
Tuğçe Kandemir
Şükran Poyrazoğlu
Firdevs Baş
Fatma Feyza Darendeliler
author_sort Esin Karakılıç Özturan
collection DOAJ
description Objective: The timing of pubertal onset is a complex biological process influenced by various factors, many of which remain poorly understood. A notable increase in early puberty cases was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated girls presenting with early or precocious puberty both during and in the five years before the pandemic. Methods: Thirty-six girls (Group 1) with suspected early puberty during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–July 2021) and forty girls (Group 2) diagnosed with central precocious puberty between 2015 and 2019 were included. Retrospective data on demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory findings were analyzed. Results: The median (IQR) age at presentation was 8.07 (1.37) years in Group 1 and 7.89 (1.35) years in Group 2 (p=0.038). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding height SDS, BMI-SDS, bone age, or Δ target height–predicted adult height SDS. Conclusions: Despite a common association between obesity and early puberty, no differences in BMI were identified in this cohort. Environmental factors related to the pandemic conditions may have influenced the timing of puberty. Larger studies with broader populations are needed for definitive conclusions.
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series Çocuk Dergisi
spelling doaj-art-f310c028f43f4da8b0eb9829f7b6da982025-08-20T03:52:48ZengIstanbul University PressÇocuk Dergisi1308-84912024-12-0124421521810.26650/jchild.2024.1595906123456The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the PandemicEsin Karakılıç Özturan0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8842-1752Aslı Berru Arslan Özden1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8531-6893Tuğçe Kandemir2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1561-2862Şükran Poyrazoğlu3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6806-9678Firdevs Baş4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9689-4464Fatma Feyza Darendeliler5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4786-0780İstanbul Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Şehir Hastanesi, Istanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, Türkiyeİstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul, TürkiyeObjective: The timing of pubertal onset is a complex biological process influenced by various factors, many of which remain poorly understood. A notable increase in early puberty cases was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated girls presenting with early or precocious puberty both during and in the five years before the pandemic. Methods: Thirty-six girls (Group 1) with suspected early puberty during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–July 2021) and forty girls (Group 2) diagnosed with central precocious puberty between 2015 and 2019 were included. Retrospective data on demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory findings were analyzed. Results: The median (IQR) age at presentation was 8.07 (1.37) years in Group 1 and 7.89 (1.35) years in Group 2 (p=0.038). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding height SDS, BMI-SDS, bone age, or Δ target height–predicted adult height SDS. Conclusions: Despite a common association between obesity and early puberty, no differences in BMI were identified in this cohort. Environmental factors related to the pandemic conditions may have influenced the timing of puberty. Larger studies with broader populations are needed for definitive conclusions.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/CC2C7258143A445CBD0E9273D9E38098covid-19 pandemicpubertal developmentprecocious pubertygirls
spellingShingle Esin Karakılıç Özturan
Aslı Berru Arslan Özden
Tuğçe Kandemir
Şükran Poyrazoğlu
Firdevs Baş
Fatma Feyza Darendeliler
The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
Çocuk Dergisi
covid-19 pandemic
pubertal development
precocious puberty
girls
title The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
title_full The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
title_fullStr The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
title_short The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pubertal Development in Girls: A Retrospective Evaluation of Girls Presenting with Precocious Puberty Before and During the Pandemic
title_sort effects of the covid 19 pandemic on pubertal development in girls a retrospective evaluation of girls presenting with precocious puberty before and during the pandemic
topic covid-19 pandemic
pubertal development
precocious puberty
girls
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/CC2C7258143A445CBD0E9273D9E38098
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