Abnormal pubertal development in Korean adolescent girls

Lee, Mee Hwa

Abstract

Puberty is the period of first attaining capability of reproduction, and is signed by the appearance of secondary sex characteristics and the occurrence of menarche in females. The timing of puberty is ethnically, sexually and individually variable and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The diagnosis of precocious or delayed puberty is considered when signs of puberty develop before or after 2 standard deviation of the mean age for the onset of puberty. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the normal progression of puberty is vital in the evaluation of abnormal pubertal development. In most western countries, the first signs of puberty occur between 8 and 13 years of age. Correspondingly, the recent Korean data have shown that puberty begins in most Korean girls with breast development at the age between 8.7 and 13.9 years. This article reviewed lately published literatures on normal and abnormal pubertal development in Korean adolescent females to delineate features of pubertal disorders in this population.