Auxological Effects of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Agonist Treatment for Central Precocious Puberty

Kim, Tae Yeon; Ahn, Jung; Kim, Hae Soon

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to assess the changes in the height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) of children who were undergoing gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) treatment for central precocious puberty.
METHODS
We performed semester-wise analysis of the anthropometric data (height, body weight, and BMI) obtained from 34 girls treated with GnRH agonist.
RESULTS
We observed that body-weight standard deviation scores (SDS) for chronological age and bone age tended to increase during the treatment, but the increase was not significant. Furthermore, the height SDS for chronological age tended to decrease during the treatment, while the SDS for bone age significantly increased during the treatment. The BMI SDS for chronological age decreased during the first 6 months of treatment, but increased subsequently. After the first year of treatment, the BMI SDS of overweight girls tended to increase more than the BMI SDS of girls with normal weight.
CONCLUSION
During GnRH agonist treatment for central precocious puberty, the BMI SDS tended to increase in overweight girls. The physical activity of such patients should be increased to minimize possible alterations in body composition.