Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1982 Mar;57(3):200–203. doi: 10.1136/adc.57.3.200

Premature thelarche: a possible adrenal disorder.

M Dumic, M Tajic, D Mardesic, Z Kalafatic
PMCID: PMC1627596  PMID: 6462113

Abstract

Endocrine studies in girls with precocious thelarche were compared with those of normal girls of similar ages. Girls with precocious thelarche showed breast development and oestrogenised vaginal smears as the only signs of precocious sexual development. A few of the girls were tall and some had advanced bone ages but these two findings were not consistently present in the same patient. Hormones--such as serum oestradiol, oestrone, delta 4-androstenedione, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, and prolactin, and urinary 17-ketosteroids--were measured. Only DHEA was different, being higher in girls with precocious thelarche. It is suggested that the high DHEA level may serve as a precursor for conversion to oestrogens in target tissues, breast, and vagina. This mechanism for oestrogenisation had been reported in other patients.

Full text

PDF
200

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Altchek A. Premature thelarche. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1972 Aug;19(3):543–545. doi: 10.1016/s0031-3955(16)32737-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartolozzi G., Bernini G., Cagnoli L., Bruni V., Buratti R. Telarca e pubarca prematuri. Minerva Pediatr. 1976 Jun 9;28(20):1298–1308. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. COLLETT-SOLBERG P. R., GRUMBACH M. M. A SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE FOR EVALUATING ESTROGENIC EFFECTS AND THE SEX CHROMATIN PATTERN IN EXFOLIATED CELLS IN URINE: STUDIES IN PREMATURE THELARCHE AND GYNECOMASTIA OF ADOLESCENCE. J Pediatr. 1965 May;66:883–890. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(65)80063-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Callow N. H., Callow R. K., Emmens C. W. Colorimetric determination of substances containing the grouping -CH(2).CO- in urine extracts as an indication of androgen content. Biochem J. 1938 Aug;32(8):1312–1331. doi: 10.1042/bj0321312. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Caufriez A., Wolter R., Govaerts M., L'Hermite M., Robyn C. Gonadotropins and prolactin pituitary reserve in premature thelarche. J Pediatr. 1977 Nov;91(5):751–753. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(77)81029-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DRESCH C., ARNAL M., PRADER A. [A study of 22 cases of isolated premature development of the breast or " premature thelarche"]. Helv Paediatr Acta. 1960 Dec;15:585–593. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Doliwa-Taborska J. Obraz cytohormonalny nabłonka pochwy u dziewczynek z przedwczesnym owłosieniem płciowym. Probl Med Wieku Rozwoj. 1975;5:143–154. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Drucker W. D., Blumberg J. M., Gandy H. M., David R. R., Verde A. L. Biologic activity of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1972 Jul;35(1):48–54. doi: 10.1210/jcem-35-1-48. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Escobar M. E., Rivarola M. A., Bergadá C. Plasma concentration of oestradiol-17beta in premature thelarche and in different types of sexual precocity. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1976 Feb;81(2):351–361. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0810351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Forest M. G., De Peretti E., Bertrand J. Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal relationships in man from birth to puberty. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1976 Sep;5(5):551–569. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1976.tb01985.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Furuyama S., Mayes D. M., Nugent C. A. A radioimmunoassay for plasma testosterone. Steroids. 1970 Oct;16(4):415–428. doi: 10.1016/s0039-128x(70)80124-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jenner M. R., Kelch R. P., Kaplan S. L., Grümbach M. M. Hormonal changes in puberty. IV. Plasma estradiol, LH, and FSH in prepubertal children, pubertal females, and in precocious puberty, premature thelarche, hypogonadism, and in a child with a feminizing ovarian tumor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1972 Mar;34(3):521–530. doi: 10.1210/jcem-34-3-521. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Job J. C., Guilhaume B., Chaussain J. L., Garnier P. E. Le developpement prématuré isolé des seins chez les fillettes. Resultats de l'epreuve à la LH-RH. Arch Fr Pediatr. 1975 Jan;32(1):39–48. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Judd H. L., Yen S. S. Serum androstenedione and testosterone levels during the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1973 Mar;36(3):475–481. doi: 10.1210/jcem-36-3-475. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. KRAUS F. T., NEUBECKER R. D. Luteinization of the ovarian theca in infants and children. Am J Clin Pathol. 1962 Apr;37:389–397. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/37.4.389. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kim M. H., Herrmann W. L. In vitro metabolism of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in foreskin, abdominal skin and vaginal mucosa. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1968 Feb;28(2):187–191. doi: 10.1210/jcem-28-2-187. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Knudsen J. F., Mahesh V. B. Initiation of precocious sexual maturation in the immature rat treated with dehydroepiandrosterone. Endocrinology. 1975 Aug;97(2):458–468. doi: 10.1210/endo-97-2-458. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Korth-Schutz S., Levine L. S., New M. I. Serum androgens in normal prepubertal and pubertal children and in children with precocious adrenarche. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1976 Jan;42(1):117–124. doi: 10.1210/jcem-42-1-117. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lecornu M., Lebars S., Martineau P., Faivre J., Jezequel C. Urocytogramme et puberté précoce. Arch Fr Pediatr. 1976 Nov;33(G):873–883. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. MacDonald P. C., Edman C. D., Kerber I. J., Siiteri P. K. Plasma precursors of estrogen. III. Conversion of plasma dehydroisoandrosterone to estrogen in young nonpregnant women. Gynecol Invest. 1976;7(3):165–175. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. POLHEMUS D. W. Ovarian maturation and cyst formation in children. Pediatrics. 1953 Jun;11(6):588–594. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Reiter E. O., Kaplan S. L., Conte F. A., Grumbach M. M. Responsivity of pituitary gonadotropes to luteinizing hormone-releasing factor in idiopathic precocious puberty, precocious thelarche, precocious adrenarche, and in patients treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate. Pediatr Res. 1975 Feb;9(2):111–116. doi: 10.1203/00006450-197502000-00011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. SILVER H. K., SAMI D. PREMATURE THELARCHE. PRECOCIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THE BREAST. Pediatrics. 1964 Jul;34:107–111. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sanchez F., Forsbach G., Zarate A., Canales E. S., Soria J., Angers M. Clinical use of the LH-RH in assessing gonadotropic reserve in children with idiopathic precocious puberty, premature thelarche and premature adrenarche. Arch Invest Med (Mex) 1976;7(3):123–126. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. de Sanctis C., Lala R., Dogliani P., Mussa F. Dinamica funzionale delle gonadotropine in bambine con pubertá precoce idiopatica, con pubarca e telarca prematuro. Minerva Pediatr. 1977 Dec 29;29(40):2425–2429. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES