* Head of Endocrinology Unit at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital
DURING the clinical activities carried out in our hospital during the lockdown, in the period of March-September 2020 we realized that the number of young patients with early or early puberty more than doubled compared to the same period in 2019. Precocious puberty – which falls within the scope of rare diseases, with an incidence of 0.1-0.6% in the general population – according to the clinical definition, is characterized from girls who started puberty before the age of 8 and boys under the age of 9i who show the first signs of pubertal development. In precocious puberty the child begins to transform into an adult too early, with the acceleration of the development of sexual characteristics and a rapid closure of the growth plates. As a result of this process, children grow quickly in height, but as adults they reach a lower than average stature, due to the rapid end of puberty.
Covid, a survival manual for teenagers in lockdown
by Valeria Pini
The disproportion of the numbers in the two years was very evident In the period March-September 2019 the patients who presented an early puberty or precocious puberty were 93 (87 females and 6 males); in the same period of 2020, 224 patients were detected (215 females and 9 males). Also in the years 2017 and 2018 the number was significantly lower than in 2020 (80 and 90 cases, respectively). The causes that determine the onset of pubertal development have not been completely clarified and the influences that can determine the onset of puberty range from particular genetic mutations to the presence of excess weight, from pollutants defined as endocrine disruptors to reduced physical activity. Thus having found a high number of diagnoses of precocious puberty has stimulated us to investigate the triggering phenomena that may have been present in the period of the lockdown.
Growing up in the days of Dad. “Even at home, we keep rules and responsibilities”
by Elena Dusi
The hypothesis is that there was a combination of coinciding factors at the base: lifestyle changes (low physical activity), dietary changes and prolonged use of PCs and tablets (to follow school). In the meantime, the second phase of the research in which they participate has begun the Pediatric Endocrinology Centers of Genoa, Cagliari and Naples. Through interviews with parents, data are being prepared that will allow for scores to be compared. Then we will analyze any correlations between lifestyle changes and increased activity of particular endocrine systems.
Covid, because even children must be vaccinated
by Antonio Cassone
.