October 29, 2013

Children’s Health Month brings awareness to CPP !

Children’s Health Month offers the opportunity to bring attention to health issues regarding children.

This article is about Central Precocious Puberty (CPP). I wasn’t familiar with CPP ,in fact, I believe many of us who are parents generally believe that “our children normally seem to grow up too quickly.” However, when it comes to central precocious puberty, you’re dealing with a condition where a child literally undergoes an early puberty experiencing abnormally fast development that can be not only alarming, but an unhealthy situation, as well. As a result, it’s important for parents to become aware of what to look for as far as signs of CPP !

FACTS ABOUT CPP :
CPP is an early onset of puberty that occurs in boys before age 9, and girls before age 8″.

“CPP occurs in one out of every 5,000 to 10,000 children.”

“Children with CPP often have no underlying medical problem or identifiable reason for an early puberty onset.”

“CPP is especially a challenge for children since they may not be prepared psychologically prepared for the physical and hormonal body changes.”

“CPP is often not diagnosed, and may lead to emotional issues as these children don’t understand what’s happening to their bodies.”

“Parents who are aware of the signs and symptoms of CPP will be able to recognize the problem and be able to dialog with their children to help them with fear or confusion about their early puberty.”

“By delaying CPP diagnosis, the more a child’s body will develop.”

• “Early CPP treatment is essential, and can stop the advancement of the puberty and bone maturation.”

What type of Specialist treats CPP?
A pediatric endocrinologist will be able to diagnose and treat Central Precocious Puberty.

Meet Dr. Joel Hahnke, M.D., FAAP:
“As a pediatric endocrinologist at Southwest Pediatric Endocrinology in Scottsdale,Arizona, Dr. Hahnke is board-certified, and concentrates his clinical research and treatment of:
• Pediatric Diabetes
• Endocrine Disorders
• Central Precocious Puberty”

Dr.Hahnke was kind enough to offer the following commentary to further educate and make aware some very import information regarding CPP.

AWARENESS:
“Awareness about the condition, including the physical signs and symptoms, is the first step in identifying the problem. As in most disorders, the earlier a diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the better the outcome will be.”

EFFECTS ON CHILDREN:
“Children with CPP are also frequently embarrassed by their physical changes, and they become easy targets for bullying or teasing, increasing the risk of depression. Because CPP increases the rate of bone maturation, this causes these children to tall for their age during the time of puberty, but because they actually have a shorter time to grow, this means that are at risk for being short adults.”

ADVICE FOR PARENTS:
“Any parent who thinks their child may be showing signs of early puberty should speak to their pediatrician, who may then refer the family to a pediatric endocrinologist. The pediatric endocrinologist will conduct a thorough review of the child’s medical history and a physical examination to help determine whether a child has CPP.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT Central Precocious Puberty:
http://www.pubertytooearly.com

(Quoted or Paraphrased information in this article was obtained from provided CPP Fact Sheets, http://www.pubertytooearly.com & thanks to Dr.Joel Hahnke for his commentary,)

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