[en] During the past decades, children migrating for international adoption have increased in number, creating an original condition of dramatic environmental change during development. In several countries, cohorts of these subjects have been shown to experience a global advancement in age at the onset of puberty, and sexual precocity is seen more frequently than in other conditions. Such early or precocious development has been assessed in relatively small cohorts or individual patients using well-defined physical indicators in comparison with updated references in the foster country. Family and adolescent evaluation of pubertal timing could allow for the study of large series of internationally adopted subjects. Also, this type of assessment integrates the physical changes of puberty with the adolescent changes in psychological and social functioning. The pathophysiological mechanisms leading to advancement of puberty in migrating children are still unclear and possibly involve several factors. In the present paper, we hypothesize that the sexual precocity in children migrating for international adoption could represent a developmentally programmed disorder resulting from cumulative anomalies in early remodeling of the central nervous system by communicational, social, nutritional, and hormonal inputs. There is some evidence that the deviations in those inputs can result in altered brain structure, particularly in the limbic system. We discuss the possible association with further disorders of developmental functions, such as cognitive, psychosocial, and sexual maturation. Along this hypothesis, some forms of idiopathic sexual precocity could result from dysfunction of one or several of the environmental programming factors, while other forms may involve predominantly genetic or familial factors.
Disciplines :
Pediatrics Endocrinology, metabolism & nutrition
Author, co-author :
Domine, Françoise ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > Néonatologie
Parent, Anne-Simone ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Pédiatrie
Rasier, Gregory ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Pédiatrie
Bourguignon, Jean-Pierre ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques > Pédiatrie
Language :
English
Title :
Assessment and mechanism of variations in pubertal timing in internationally adopted children: a developmental hypothesis
Publication date :
November 2006
Journal title :
European Journal of Endocrinology
ISSN :
0804-4643
eISSN :
1479-683X
Publisher :
BioScientifica Ltd, Bristol, United Kingdom
Volume :
155
Issue :
Suppl. 1
Pages :
S17-S25
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE] DG RDT - Commission Européenne. Direction Générale de la Recherche et de l'Innovation [BE] BSGPE - Belgian Study Group for Pediatric Endocrinology [BE]
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