Chinese medicine for precocious puberty in children

  Precocious puberty is an endocrine disorder in which secondary sexual characteristics appear before the age of 8 for girls and 10 for boys, or the first menstruation of girls occurs before the age of 10. In recent years, with the improvement of people’s living standard and the widespread existence of exogenous hormones, the number of children with precocious puberty has gradually increased.  Precocious puberty can be divided into true precocious puberty and pseudo-precocious puberty, complete precocious puberty and partial precocious puberty, as well as homosexual precocious puberty and heterosexual precocious puberty from the etiology. True precocious puberty is due to the premature action of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, which is central precocious puberty. Complete precocious puberty is generally investigated without special causes and pathological changes, and is idiopathic precocious puberty. Incomplete precocious puberty is due to sex hormones stimulating the development of sexual characteristics, and is mostly pseudo-precocious or partial (incomplete) precocious puberty. Clinically, there are 4-5 times more girls with precocious puberty than boys.  Precocious puberty generally manifests as breast development, increased vaginal discharge, and menstruation in girls; penis and testicles enlargement, penile erection, and even ejaculation in boys, and facial acne and thickening of voice. Pubic and axillary hair can appear in both boys and girls. Plasma testosterone in boys and estradiol in girls increase with the development of precocious puberty. x-ray radiographs of the wrist bone orthopsies show bone age maturation beyond the actual age, consistent with sexual maturation.  According to Chinese medicine, the pathology of precocious puberty mainly lies in the kidney and liver, and its pathogenesis is mainly due to the imbalance of yin and yang of the kidney, insufficient kidney yin and hyperactive phase fire in children; it can also be caused by disease or mental factors that lead to the loss of drainage of the liver, liver stagnation and fire, and liver fire inflammation, resulting in the early arrival of the heavenly sap and early appearance of the second sex characteristics. The author has achieved good results in clinical treatment based on this identification and typing.  The evidence of kidney yin deficiency is seen in girls with breast development and early onset of menstruation; boys with enlarged genitals and penile erection. This is accompanied by red cheek and hot flashes, night sweats, irritability of the five hearts, red tongue with little coating and fine pulse. Treatment includes nourishing Yin and lowering fire, using Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan plus reduction. Commonly used drugs: Zhi Mu, Huang Bai, Sheng Di, Gentian Cao, Ze Di, Mudan Pi, Xuan Shen, Turtle A, Xia Ku Cao, etc. If there is a lot of vaginal discharge, add Tsubaki root bark and Coix Seed; if there is vaginal bleeding, add Dry Lotus Grass and Cyperus rotundus.  For liver stagnation and fire, see girls with developing breasts and internal and external genitalia, menstruation; boys with enlarged penis and testicles, low voice, facial acne, penile erection and ejaculation. This is accompanied by chest tightness, irritability, belching and sighing, red tongue with yellow coating and thin pulse. The treatment is to dredge the liver and relieve depression, clear the heart and relieve fire, and the formula is to add and subtract Dan Gardenia Free and Easy San. Commonly used drugs: Dampi, Gardenia, White peony, Chai Hu, Gentian grass, Xia Gu Cao, Citrus aurantium, etc. If the breast is swollen and painful, add Xiang Shen and Yu Jin.  In addition to the evidence-based treatment, pregnant women and young children should be cautious with tonic products, especially parents of young children should be warned not to give their children tonic products containing sex hormones in order to prevent the occurrence of pseudosexual precocious puberty. After the disease, you should seek medical attention and active treatment to avoid sequelae, such as short stature. In addition, parents of affected children should relieve their worries and pay attention to protecting their children to avoid physical and psychological trauma.