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The Age Distribution among Children Seeking Medical Treatment for Precocious Puberty in Taiwan

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  • Pen-Hua Su

    (School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
    Department of Pediatrics, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 41354, Taiwan)

  • Jing-Yang Huang

    (Center for Health Data Science, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
    Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan)

  • Cho-Shun Li

    (Department of Neurosurgery, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 41354, Taiwan)

  • Hua-Pin Chang

    (Department of Nursing, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
    Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan)

Abstract

Objective: Children with precocious puberty (PP) may have increased physiological and psychological problems. In this study, we aimed to explore the trend of parents seeking medical care for their children with precocious puberty. Methods: The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset (NHIRD) was used to estimate the prevalence (2000–2013) and incidence (2002–2013) of PP (ICD-9 code: 259.1) among boys aged 0–11 years and girls aged 0–10 years. The proportions of PP management within 1 year from the date of first diagnosis were also compared between two periods (2002–2007 and 2008–2012). The trends of PP prevalence or incidence were determined by join-point regression. Results: In 2000, 309 boys and 2706 girls had at least one visit for PP, the crude prevalence rates (per 10,000 persons) were 0.99 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.87–1.14) and 13.56 (95% CI 13.01–14.13) in boys and girls, respectively. In 2013, the crude prevalence rates increased to 7.01 (95% CI 6.56–7.84) and 110.95 (95% CI 108.97–112.96) in boys and girls, respectively. A total of 2584 girls and 207 boys with incident PP cases were identified in 2002, and 7498 girls and 739 boys were identified in 2013. For girls, the incidence rates (per 10,000 person-years) were 16.17 (95% CI 15.55–16.80) and 70.23 (95% CI 68.65–71.83) in 2002 and 2013, respectively. For boys, the incidence rates were 1.09 (95% CI 0.95–1.24) and 5.72 (95% CI 5.32–6.15) in 2002 and 2013, respectively. The sex ratio (F:M) of the incidence of PP cases was 14.89 in 2002 and 12.28 in 2013. Conclusion: In this study, from 2000 to 2013, the frequency of visiting pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinics for precocious puberty increased in both genders. We advocate that it is important to pay increased attention to children’s health, environmental hormones, and diet. Researchers should consider how to survey precocious puberty and offer parents more education to avoid the waste of medical resources or delays in seeking medical care.

Suggested Citation

  • Pen-Hua Su & Jing-Yang Huang & Cho-Shun Li & Hua-Pin Chang, 2020. "The Age Distribution among Children Seeking Medical Treatment for Precocious Puberty in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:18:p:6765-:d:414664
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shin Hye Kim & Kyoung Huh & Sungho Won & Kuk-Wha Lee & Mi-Jung Park, 2015. "A Significant Increase in the Incidence of Central Precocious Puberty among Korean Girls from 2004 to 2010," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-8, November.
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