Is puberty getting earlier and earlier? And will it really be an effect of the pandemic? “According to some of the most recent research, there has been an extreme surge in the sexual development of girls in the two-year period 2020-2021. Researchers from the Pediatric and Endocrinological Clinic of the Gaslini Institute in Genoa have detected a 30% increase in diagnoses of precocious puberty compared to the four years before the appearance of the coronavirus”. It is one of the responses of ‘Doctor, but is it true that…?’, the anti-hoax site of the Federation of Medical Associations (Fnomceo), which explores a topic that raises concerns among parents.
Isolation from peers, sedentary lifestyle, suspension of sporting activities, anxiety, changes in lifestyle: the lockdowns into which the Covid-19 pandemic forced us were also this. Among the longer-term consequences of that emergency period, such as delays in diagnoses and the suspension of some therapies, there is a new hypothesis that involves younger people. The idea is that there may also have been an effect on the timing of puberty. Numerous studies have already explored this aspect in depth, especially by taking advantage of the data collected by healthcare facilities in Italy, one of the countries most affected by Covid-19. “This is an evolving scenario, caused by multiple factors; however, it is essential to analyze it to safeguard the health of tomorrow’s adults”, he explains.
Puberty
Physiologically today puberty occurs in males at the average age of 11 and in females between 8 and 13 years. If the development of sexual characteristics occurs before the age of 8 in girls and 9 years of age, in boys we can speak of precocious puberty. That development is coming increasingly earlier is nothing new. Several studies confirm this, including a systematic review that evaluated the changes in thelarche in each decade between 1977 and 2013. The conclusion is that the age of development of the mammary gland decreased by almost 3 months per decade. For experts, only Covid-19 cannot be brought into the dock. “There is not just one cause. The last hypothesis took into consideration the Covid pandemic and all the changes that resulted from it. The study carried out by Italian researchers was born from the increase (+80%) in the number of girls visited in pediatric endocrinology centers for suspected precocious puberty in the last 2 years. In the same period, diagnoses of this condition have increased (+30%).
The post-pandemic scenario is complex. After the restrictions of the lockdown, Dad, isolation, gyms and parks closed, children’s lifestyle has undergone enormous changes. More time spent in front of screens, sleep disorders, anxiety, a less balanced diet and a sedentary lifestyle have caused an increase in rates of overweight and obesity in adolescents. It has long been known that a high or rapidly increasing body mass index (BMI) is among the main triggers of precocious puberty, as highlighted in the focus.
According to Mohamad Maghnie, director of the Pediatric and Endocrinology Clinic of the Gaslini Institute, “even the prolonged use of electronic devices could have influenced the timing of pubertal development through direct and indirect factors. Girls diagnosed with precocious puberty during the pandemic period have showed an average of 2 hours more per day (compared to the previous period) spent using electronic devices and 88.5% of these stopped the planned physical activity they carried out before the pandemic”. Genetic, environmental and cultural causes are also at the center of research. Above all, pollution is the blame. Exposure to toxic agents is a risk factor even before birth. There are thousands of chemical substances that can affect the endocrine system of children and therefore their sexual development.
“Today – the experts highlight – it is particularly important to collect data on cases of precocious puberty in order to be able to evaluate the long-term effects on adult health in the future”. Also because, we read in the article, “with the early maturation of the sexual organs, determined by the excessive production of hormones, complications can occur. This applies to both females and males. The bones, for example, begin to grow suddenly but they stop developing just as quickly: the result is short stature as adults. In girls, the early arrival of menarche can lead to overweight, hypertension, alterations in blood sugar levels. Finally, the psychological aspects should not be underestimated.”
What to do
The recommendation, the experts conclude, “is to consult with the family pediatrician, if necessary also with a pediatric endocrinologist. And consider a psychological consultation when the changes seem particularly serious”. Some doctors hope that the return to school and children’s adaptation to the challenges of the pandemic will slow the rate of early puberty. “When you look at the data from the last year, particularly in places where kids are mostly back in school and life is more normal again, I predict that the rate of early puberty will go back to what it was before,” he said. Paul Kaplowitz, pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, told ‘The Scientist’. “But obviously we don’t know.”
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