EFFECTS OF THE GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE AGONIST THERAPY ON GROWTH AND BODY MASS INDEX IN GIRLS WITH IDIOPATHIC CENTRAL PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to examine the auxological findings of girls diagnosed with idiopathic central precocious puberty (CPP) at the end of the GnRHa treatment and to investigate the effect of related factors on the height gain of those patients.

Design: Single-center, descriptive, cross-sectional retrospective study.

Method: A total of 43 patients who were diagnosed with idiopathic CPP and treated with GnRHa between 2012 - 2021 were included in to the study.

Results: A decline in height standard deviation score (SDS) from 1.20 ± 0.14 to 1.02 ± 0.06 during the therapy was observed (P<0.001). The bone age/chronological age ratio was decreased and predictive adult height was increased at the end of the therapy (P<0.001; P=0.001). Both the rates of being overweight and obesity were increased (38.6% to 50% and 9% to 15.9%) when the treatment onset compared to the end of therapy. At the end of the treatment, the mean body mass index (BMI) SDS of the overweight patients was still higher compared to the normal-weight group (P<0.001).

Conclusion: We observed a positive effect of GnRHa therapy on height potential. An increase in BMI during the therapy has been also demonstrated especially in subjects who were overweight before treatment.

Keywords: Central precocious puberty; GnRH analog therapy; Growth; Obesity.