Abstract

Central Precocious puberty (CPP) is frequently seen among cases presenting to our endocrine clinics. The purpose of this study was to have a base line data of this condition with an attempt to point out any possible unique features to Sudan and to explore challenges faced in
management and how that cultural and traditional practices may hamper care. Here, we are reporting the first data on this aspect from Sudanese. Subjects. Patients labeled as having CPP in Gafaar Ibnauf Children’s Hospital and Soba University Hospital Endocrinology Clinics from January 2006 to January 2016 are included in a descriptive hospital-based study which was conducted over 10 years in these two main pediatric endocrinology centers. Records of all patients with CPP were reviewed and challenges in diagnosis and management were identified. Most of the children with CPP presented late. Organic causes were more frequent among girls than what has been reported in the literature; in most boys it was idiopathic. Almost half of the patients with underlying pathology were older than six years of age. Most cases including girls have an organic cause, thus magnetic resonance image (MRI) should be done in all patients. Management of precocious puberty in a resource-limited country is faced with various challenges (e.g:expensive investigations and medications). We suggest establishing a unified protocol for managing these cases and creating collaboration between governmental, non governmental organizations, and health services.

Key words: Central precocious puberty (CPP), Gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty (GDPP), Pediatrics, Sudan.