Stress
and indiscriminate use of sanitisers are causing early puberty in children,
according to experts
During
the Covid-19 epidemic, children are physically maturing too quickly. The early
beginning of puberty, also known as precocious puberty, has been documented in
children, according to experts at Jehangir Hospital in Pune.
Puberty
is the period of life when our bodies begin to mature physically, and it
normally occurs between the ages of 8 and 14. Precocious puberty occurs when
puberty begins too early, usually before the age of eight in girls and nine in
boys. This condition may necessitate medical attention.
Early
puberty in children is becoming more common, which has been connected to
Covid-19 lockdown, pandemic-related stress, and indiscriminate sanitiser usage.
Referrals
to Jehangir Hospital for 'precocious puberty' jumped 3.6 times during the
pandemic, according to a study, with children as young as 8-9 years old showing
indications of maturity, including early menstruation. The results of the study
were published in the Journal of Paediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
recently.
Other
countries, such as Turkey, China, and Italy, have seen similar patterns. During
the Covid shutdown in 2020, for example, Italian research found a 108 per cent
increase in referrals for suspected premature puberty.
Precocious
puberty is becoming more common among females
155
kids (146 girls and nine boys) were referred for precocious puberty during the
lockdown period, according to Dr Vaman Khadilkar of Jehangir Hospital's growth
and paediatric endocrinology unit (spanning March 1, 2020, and September 30,
2021).
Referrals
during the pre-Covid period were significantly lower. From September 1, 2018,
to February 29, 2020, only 59 patients (54 girls and five boys) were referred
for early puberty.
During
the lockdown, girls made up a major portion of the patients with precocious
puberty, according to the statistics.
Doctors
advise avoiding using sanitisers excessively
Excessive
use of sanitisers and weight gain due to increased indoor time, according to Dr
Anuradha Khadilkar, are likely to blame for the rise in incidences of early
puberty among females.
In
an interview with the newspaper, she warned that triclosan, an endocrine-disrupting
chemical commonly found in hand sanitisers and soaps, has been linked to a
younger menstrual age.
According
to the study, increased screen time, consumption of high-calorie foods, and
binge eating are all plausible reasons for early puberty.
Stress,
increased use of electronic devices, and lack of sleep, according to Dr Vaman,
can result in lower night-time melatonin levels, which can trigger the early
onset of puberty.
Increased
indoor time during the lockdown, he argued, certainly exacerbated vitamin D
insufficiency in children, making them more susceptible to early puberty.
What's
more worrying is that the researchers are observing a similar number of cases
of early puberty, implying that the trend is continuing.
Early
puberty presents a number of challenges
Children
who experience early puberty may face a number of emotional and social
difficulties, including:
· When
puberty ends, bone growth may come to a halt.
· They
may stop growing too soon and never reach their full potential height.
· Because
their breasts develop too early and they begin having periods much earlier than
their peers, girls who suffer premature puberty may face taunting and body
shaming. They may become irritated and cranky as well.
· Boys
can become aggressive when they reach puberty early.
· Children
who reach puberty early may also have a stronger sex drive than their
classmates.
Puberty
that occurs at a young age may necessitate treatment. To halt or stop puberty,
treatment focuses on lowering sex hormone levels.