Premature adrenarche (PA) is marked by the early development of public hair accompanying the presence of increased circulating androgens before 8 (girls) or 9 (boys) years of age. There have been conflicting reports of growth irregularities in children with PA, which have been difficult to reconcile with the known effects of these androgens. In the current issue of The Journal, Utriainen et al in Finland present some fascinating information on 54 girls with well-characterized PA-in fact, many had a much more extensive workup than what might be considered appropriate in practice. The study was made possible because of excellent clinical and growth records on these children.
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