Excess weight and precocious pubarche in children: alterations of the adrenocortical hormones.

In this paper we assess the qualitative and quantitative differences in adrenal function before and after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation between normal weight and overweight precocious pubarche (PP) patients. Twelve of the 22 PP patients had a normal body weight for height with linear growth and bone ages (BAs) that were appropriate for chronological age. The remaining 10 PP patients had body weights which were greater than 120% of ideal weight for height and body mass indices (BMIs), which were more than 125% of the ideal for age and sex. In six overweight patients, linear growth was accelerated and BAs were advanced beyond chronological age. All patients underwent an ACTH stimulation test where they received an intravenous bolus of 250 micrograms Cortrosyn. Blood samples were obtained at 0' and 60' for 17-OHProgesterone (17-OHP), 17-OHPregnenolone (17-OHPG), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione (A-dione), and cortisol levels. Results of the baseline and stimulated adrenal hormones in the normal weight children were found to be within reference range for normal Tanner I children. In contrast, two of the 10 overweight children were suspected of having congenital adrenal hyperplasia [one with 21-hydroxylase (21-OHase) deficiency, another with 3-betahydroxysteroid (3 beta ol) deficiency]. These two children were indistinguishable in their linear growth rate and degree of skeletal maturation from the other overweight children. In both patients the BA/chronological age and BA/height age (HA) ratios were within two standard deviations of the mean for the overweight patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)