A systematic review supporting the Endocrine Society clinical practice guidelines on central precocious puberty.

CONTEXT: Central precocious puberty (CPP).

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the available supporting evidence for the Endocrine Society guidelines about the management of CPP.

METHODS

Multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus) were searched to identify studies that addressed the Endocrine Society Guideline Development Panel's 10 clinical questions. Identified studies were selected and appraised, and data were extracted by pairs of independent trained reviewers.

RESULTS

The systematic review yielded 3796 citations, of which 32 citations were included. The systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate that in children with CPP, with no central nervous system symptoms, the rate of magnetic resonance imaging identification of pathogenic lesions (ie, hamartomas and brain tumors) was 6% (35 noncomparative studies with 5541 children with CPP). For girls with idiopathic CPP, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment was associated with +2.7 cm adult height gain compared to those who did not receive treatment (21 comparative observational studies with 1835 girls [mean age 8.20 ± 1.08 years]). The review did not identify any studies that assessed the clinical questions on: benefits of additional evaluation in cases of early thelarche, differentiation of slowly vs rapidly progressing CPP, order of biochemical testing to establish and monitor the diagnosis of CPP, genetic testing for individuals diagnosed with CPP, and chronological age and/or bone age for discontinuation of GnRHa treatment.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review addresses various aspects of CPP evaluation and treatment of CPP and will support the development of the Endocrine Society guidelines.