Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2001 Oct; 21(10): 732-5.

[Clinical study on treatment of female idiopathic precocious puberty with combined therapy of Chinese medicine and megestrol acetate]

Cai DP, Ji ZY, Shi YM.

Pediatric Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032.

OBJECTIVE: To find effective therapeutic approach for treating true idiopathic precocious puberty suitable to our national condition and different from gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist. METHODS: One hundred and six girls with idiopathic precocious puberty were divided into 3 groups. The 51 girls in the combination therapy group were treated with megestrol acetate (MA) and Chinese medicine for nourishing Yin and removing Fire, the 35 girls in the MA treated group were treated with MA alone and the other 20 girls were given no treatment at all as control. Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) stimulating test was performed before and after treatment, and size of uterus and ovary, linear growth rate, X-ray bone age measurement and final height prediction were also observed simultaneously. RESULTS: After being treated with combination therapy for 2.7 years in average, in the combination therapy group, the luteinizing hormone peak value of LHRH stimulating test was reduced from 48.5 +/- 37.1 IU/L to 12.2 +/- 9.3 IU/L (P < 0.001), size of uterus and ovary decreased, secondary sexual characteristics regressed, the bone age difference/chronological age difference value (delta BA/delta CA) reduced from 1.35 +/- 0.64 to 0.65 +/- 0.36(P < 0.001), and predictive final height increased from 153.3 +/- 3.6 cm to 158.5 +/- 4.3 cm (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Combination therapy could not only modulate the function of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and the development of internal genitalia, but also could slow down skeletal growth, delay skeletal maturation, and thereby prevent premature epiphyseal fusion and increase the final height of patients.