Final adult height in male patients with central precocious puberty after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment

Abstract

Purpose We aimed to compare the final adult height (FAH) of male patients with central precocious puberty (CPP) after treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). Specifically, we compared FAH with the target height (TH) and the predicted adult height (PAH) before and after GnRHa treatment to quantify height gain and identify predictive factors. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 92 male patients with CPP and known FAH after GnRHa treatment at the Department of Pediatrics of Severance Children's Hospital between January 2000 and June 2024. Results The mean duration of GnRHa treatment was 2.7 +/- 1.3 years. A significant 1.1 +/- 0.9 years narrowing was observed in the difference between bone age (BA) and chronological age (CA) during treatment (P<0.001). TH was 172.4 +/- 3.4 cm. FAH was 173.6 +/- 6.4 cm. FAH was greater than TH by 1.2 +/- 5.9 cm (P=0.047). PAH before and after treatment was 179.9 +/- 8.1 and 181.2 +/- 7.4 cm, respectively. PAH was increased by 1.3 +/- 4.9 cm (P=0.012) after treatment. As the PAH standard deviation score (SDS) before GnRHa treatment increased, FAH tended to exceed TH. In contrast, higher testosterone levels before treatment are associated with FAH falling below TH. A longer duration of treatment and taller TH are associated with an FAH SDS greater than height SDS before treatment. Conversely, a greater weight SDS, BA-CA difference, and testis size before treatment are associated with FAH SDS being less than height SDS before GnRHa treatment. Conclusions GnRHa treatment improved FAH and inhibited bone maturation in male patients with CPP.