Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, No. 5, 1020-1026,
May 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Sexual precocity after immigration from developing countries to Belgium: evidence of previous exposure to organochlorine pesticides
1 Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and 2 Laboratory of Toxicology, University of Liège, C.H.U. Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium and Departments of Pediatrics, 3 Universities of Ghent, 4 Antwerp, 5 Brussels and 6 Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Belgian Study Group for Pediatric Endocrinology
In a retrospective auxological study of 145 patients seen in Belgium during a 9-year period for treatment of precocious puberty, 28% appeared to be foreign children (39 girls, one boy) who immigrated 4 to 5 years earlier from 22 developing countries, without any link to a particular ethnic or country background. The patients were either adopted (n = 28) or non-adopted (n = 12), the latter having normal weight and height at immigration and starting early puberty without evidence of earlier deprivation. This led to the hypothesis that the mechanism of precocious puberty might involve previous exposure to oestrogenic endocrine disrupters. A toxicological plasma screening for eight pesticides detected p,p'-DDE, which is derived from the organochlorine pesticide DDT. Median p,p'-DDE concentrations were respectively 1.20 and 1.04 ng/ml in foreign adopted (n = 15) and non-adopted (n = 11) girls with precocious puberty, while 13 out of 15 Belgian native girls with idiopathic or organic precocious puberty showed undetectable concentrations (<0.1 ng/ml). A possible relationship between transient exposure to endocrine disrupters and sexual precocity is suggested, and deserves further studies in immigrant children with non-advanced puberty.
Key words: adopted children/organochlorine pesticides/p,p'-DDE/precocious puberty
7 Present address: Pediatric Clinic, Medical Faculty, 91000 Skopje, Macedonia
8 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Liège, C.H.U. Sart Tilman, B-4000 Liege, Belgium. E-mail: jpbourguignon{at}ulg.ac.be
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  E. Diamanti-Kandarakis, J.-P. Bourguignon, L. C. Giudice, R. Hauser, G. S. Prins, A. M. Soto, R. T. Zoeller, and A. C. Gore Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement Endocr. Rev., June 1, 2009; 30(4): 293 - 342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Rasier, A.-S. Parent, A. Gerard, R. Denooz, M.-C. Lebrethon, C. Charlier, and J.-P. Bourguignon Mechanisms of Interaction of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals with Glutamate-Evoked Secretion of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Toxicol. Sci., March 1, 2008; 102(1): 33 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Bredhult, L. Sahlin, and M. Olovsson Gene expression analysis of human endometrial endothelial cells exposed to op'-DDT Mol. Hum. Reprod., February 1, 2008; 14(2): 97 - 106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Caserta, L. Maranghi, A. Mantovani, R. Marci, F. Maranghi, and M. Moscarini Impact of endocrine disruptor chemicals in gynaecology Hum. Reprod. Update, January 1, 2008; 14(1): 59 - 72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Rasier, A.-S. Parent, A. Gerard, M.-C. Lebrethon, and J.-P. Bourguignon Early Maturation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Secretion and Sexual Precocity after Exposure of Infant Female Rats to Estradiol or Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Biol Reprod, October 1, 2007; 77(4): 734 - 742. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Teilmann, M. Boas, J. H. Petersen, K. M. Main, M. Gormsen, K. Damgaard, V. Brocks, N. E. Skakkebaek, and T. K. Jensen Early Pituitary-Gonadal Activation before Clinical Signs of Puberty in 5- to 8-Year-Old Adopted Girls: A Study of 99 Foreign Adopted Girls and 93 Controls J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2007; 92(7): 2538 - 2544. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F Domine, A-S Parent, G Rasier, M-C Lebrethon, and J-P Bourguignon Assessment and mechanism of variations in pubertal timing in internationally adopted children: a developmental hypothesis Eur. J. Endocrinol., November 1, 2006; 155(suppl_1): S17 - S25. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C L Acerini and I A Hughes Endocrine disrupting chemicals: a new and emerging public health problem? Arch. Dis. Child., August 1, 2006; 91(8): 633 - 641. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Teilmann, C. B. Pedersen, N. E. Skakkebaek, and T. K. Jensen Increased Risk of Precocious Puberty in Internationally Adopted Children in Denmark Pediatrics, August 1, 2006; 118(2): e391 - e399. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Teilmann, C. B. Pedersen, T. K. Jensen, N. E. Skakkebaek, and A. Juul Prevalence and Incidence of Precocious Pubertal Development in Denmark: An Epidemiologic Study Based on National Registries Pediatrics, December 1, 2005; 116(6): 1323 - 1328. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Denham, L. M. Schell, G. Deane, M. V. Gallo, J. Ravenscroft, A. P. DeCaprio, and and the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment Relationship of Lead, Mercury, Mirex, Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, Hexachlorobenzene, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls to Timing of Menarche Among Akwesasne Mohawk Girls Pediatrics, February 1, 2005; 115(2): e127 - e134. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. B. Heringa, B. van der Burg, J. C. H. van Eijkeren, and J. L. M. Hermens Xenoestrogenicity in In Vitro Assays Is Not Caused by Displacement of Endogenous Estradiol from Serum Proteins Toxicol. Sci., November 1, 2004; 82(1): 154 - 163. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 O. Vasiliu, J. Muttineni, and W. Karmaus In utero exposure to organochlorines and age at menarche Hum. Reprod., July 1, 2004; 19(7): 1506 - 1512. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. E. Herman-Giddens, P. B. Kaplowitz, and R. Wasserman Navigating the Recent Articles on Girls' Puberty in Pediatrics: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here? Pediatrics, April 1, 2004; 113(4): 911 - 917. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A.-S. Parent, G. Teilmann, A. Juul, N. E. Skakkebaek, J. Toppari, and J.-P. Bourguignon The Timing of Normal Puberty and the Age Limits of Sexual Precocity: Variations around the World, Secular Trends, and Changes after Migration Endocr. Rev., October 1, 2003; 24(5): 668 - 693. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. G. Selevan, D. C. Rice, K. A. Hogan, S. Y. Euling, A. Pfahles-Hutchens, and J. Bethel Blood Lead Concentration and Delayed Puberty in Girls N. Engl. J. Med., April 17, 2003; 348(16): 1527 - 1536. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|