THERAPEUTIC USE OF PITUITARY OESENSITIZATION WITH A LONG-ACTING LHRM AGONIST: A POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT FOR IDIOPATHIC PRECOCIOUS PUBERTY*

Abstract

A two year girl with idiopathic true precocious puberty was treated with a long-acting LHRH agonist, D-Trp6-Pro9-NEt-LHRH (LHRHa). Prior to therapy, the patient demonstrated pulsatile gonadotropin secretion during both night and day, a pubertal response to exogenous LHRH, and an elevated plasma estradiol level. After eight weeks of therapy (4 microgram/kg daily), a mean gonadotropin levels fell to the prepubertal range, there was no evidence of pulsatile discharge of gonadotropins nor any response to exogenous LHRH, and plasma estradiol levels became undetectable. No adverse drug reactions were encountered and all effects of therapy were reversed following cessation of treatment for two months. LHRH analogs may offer a new approach to the therapy of idiopathic precocious puberty and merit further study.