Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in the treatment of girls with central precocious puberty.

The onset of puberty before the age of 8 years in a girl is considered precocious. A child who presents with premature sexual development requires a thorough history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory evaluation. Making the correct diagnosis is crucial to the selection of the appropriate form of therapy and management. Generally, CPP is the result of premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and can be successfully managed with long-acting GnRH agonists. In addition, GnRH analogue therapy has been shown to be safe, effective, and reversible. Treatment has resulted in a delay in the progression of secondary sexual development, normalization of the growth velocity, slowing of the rate of bone maturation, and an increase in the predicted final adult height. The GnRH agonists are ineffective in the therapy of gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty.