Delayed puberty: experience of a tertiary care centre in India.
BACKGROUND
Pubertal delay can be a manifestation of a wide variety of diseases, the proportions of which may vary between developing and industrialised countries.


OBJECTIVE
A retrospective study was undertaken to investigate the aetiology of delayed puberty in northern India.


METHODS
Follow-up records of patients with delayed puberty presenting to the endocrine clinic between 2003 and 2007 were analysed.


RESULTS
Forty-two patients (19 boys, 23 girls, age range 14-27 y) of 46 who initially presented had complete evaluation. The main causes of pubertal delay were chronic systemic illnesses (16), e.g. malnutrition, anaemia and chronic infections, hormone deficiencies (11), hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism (7) and constitutional delay (6). While the majority of girls (11/23) were found to have underlying systemic disorders, endocrinopathies (6/19) were the major causes of pubertal delay in boys.


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic systemic illnesses are the major cause of pubertal delay in developing countries. Social awareness and education leading to early detection and treatment can prevent pubertal delay in a large proportion of cases.
Bhakhri
B K
BK
Department of Paediatrics, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Prasad
M S
MS
Choudhary
I P
IP
Biswas
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011628:Puberty, Delayed / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult