Pubertal development in obese children and adolescents

Objective: To investigate clinical and laboratory markers of pubertal development in a large sample of obese children and adolescents. Methods: Analysis of parameters of sexual maturation in 1232 obese individuals (582 boys) aged 6–18 years (mean 13.0±2.42 years). Clinical evaluation of pubertal stage and determination of bone age in a subset (227 patients). Results: Mean Height – standard deviation scores (height–SDS) was positive during childhood and reached zero approximately at age 14 years followed by a turn to negative mean height–SDS in both genders. Accordingly, bone age was accelerated until age 14. No significant differences in average time points of occurrence of pubic hair stages PH 2 to PH 4 in boys and PH 2 to PH 5 in girls were observed as compared to references of the First Zurich Longitudinal Study. In girls, breast stage B 3 was reached earlier (11.6 vs 12.2 years, P =0.03). In boys, mean volume of testis revealed no significant deviation from reference. Mean dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels were elevated in boys (within age ranges 8–10 years and 12–16 years, P