ESPE Abstracts

The 1st lockdown from March to May 2020 probably led to an increase in the number of cases of idiopathic central precocious puberty in several European countries. Two Italian studies showed this, as well as a Spanish and a Turkish one. We performed a retrospective study with all the children who came to our department for a 1st appointment or a check-up for pubertal signs between 01/04/2017 and 31/03/2021. We checked the data of 765 files and kept only the children with a diagnosis of idiopathic central precocious puberty (onset before or at 8 years of age for girls and 9.5 years for boys) confirmed by hormonal assays and ultrasound data (LHRH peak test LH>7, estradiol >15 pg/ml, inhibin B >20 pg/ml, uterus over 35 mm +/- signs of impregnation). We focused our statistical analysis on girls because there was no difference of incidence in our male patients. During the lockdown period and a few months after, from 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021, we diagnosed 49 girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty, vs 50 girls in total during the 3 years before the COVID 19 pandemic (from 01/04/2017 to 31/03/2020). We also performed statistical analysis on weight, BMI, birth parameters, historic of familial idiopathic central precocious puberty, adoption and biological parameters such as LH/FSH ratio over the LHRH test. In addition, we noticed some patients had rapidly progressive puberty with 1st menstruation before 10 years, less than 18 months after breast development. We also reported, in the post-lockdown period, some cases of precocious central puberty confirmed by the dosages (estradiol, LHRH test), which would regress after a few months with return of the dosages in the prepubertal norm. We therefore confirm the increase in the incidence (x3) of recourse to our center for idiopathic central precocious puberty among girls during the year following the 1st lockdown due to the COVID 19 pandemic. However, the mechanism is unknown for the moment.