Boys with constitutional delay of growth and puberty developed spontaneous puberty and reached standard adult height without pharmacological therapy.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the patterns of pubertal development, growth, and adult height in untreated male patients with CDGP.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care center from 1984 to 2019. Medical records of 46 boys diagnosed with CDGP (after excluding those with hypogonadism) were included for further analysis.

RESULTS

Most patients were born at term (78%) and appropriate for gestational age (85%). A family history of delayed puberty was noted in 50%. The median age at initial evaluation was 14.3 years (range: 4.8-16.2 years). Short stature before puberty was the main reason for seeking medical attention (48%). Short stature was common at the first evaluation (93%) but improved over time; at the final assessment, only 17% of the patients remained short. For those who reached adult height, the height Z-scores were comparable to target height. Predictions using the Bayley-Pinneau method often overestimated adult height. Delayed bone age was present in 82% of patients at initial evaluation. The median age of spontaneous pubertal onset was 15 years, with a median duration of 2.1 years (range: 1.2-4.8 years, n = 33). None of the patients received pharmacological treatment. The median age at Tanner stage G5 was 17.1 years.

CONCLUSIONS

In boys with CDGP, transient short stature improved spontaneously during puberty. Most achieved their target height without growth-promoting therapy. However, adult height predictions based on the Bayley-Pinneau method were often overestimated. Spontaneous puberty initiation and completion occurred at approximately 15 and 17 years of age, respectively.