Increased Incidence of Precocious Puberty in Girls During COVID-19 Pandemic: Early Indicator of the Upcoming Childhood Metabolic Syndrome Pandemic?

Abstract

To evaluate retrospectively the incidence of central precocious puberty (CPP) during the COVID 19 lockdown and comparing the data with the corresponding data from the previous 2 years. The study included 23 girls with CPP and 14 patients with early puberty. Nineteen patients were newly diagnosed with CPP compared to 4 patients diagnosed with CPP during the previous 2 years. The number of new patients diagnosed with CPP was significantly higher than the mean during the previous 2 years ( P < .001). There were more overweight patients with CPP during and after the lockdown ( P < .05). These patients had also increased uterus length ( P < .05) and more advanced bone age ( P < .05). The increase in the incidence of central precocious puberty during and after the lockdown due to COVID 19 can be considered a serious consequence of the increased fat mass and an early indicator of the worsening of childhood obesity.