Pediatria pre prax 6/2006

DELAYED PUBERTY

Delayed puberty is characterised by absence of physical changes of sexual development in 13 years in girls and 14 years in boys or when the pubertal development not progress appropriately: the interval between first signs of puberty and menarche in girls/completition genital growth in boys is more than 5 years. Pubertal delay is associated with short stature and bone age retardation in most patients. The aim of the assessement is to determine whether the delay or lack of development is a result of a physiological lag in normal pubertal maturation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis (in 50–60 %) or represents an underlying congenital or acquired abnormality.

Keywords: delayed puberty, hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, constitutinonal delay of growth and puberty.