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How many children are affected by/at risk of precocious puberty?

Precocious puberty is rare, meaning it affects about 1% or less of the U.S. population.1 Many more girls are affected than boys.

One study suggests that African American girls have some early breast development or some early pubic hair more often than white girls or Hispanic girls. There is a greater chance of being affected by precocious puberty2 if a child is female and African American and has obesity.

Citations

  1. National Organization for Rare Disorders. (2016). Precocious Puberty. Retrieved May 15, 2018, from https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/precocious-puberty/ external link
  2. Wei, C., Davis, N., & Honour, J. (2016). The investigation of children and adolescents with abnormalities of pubertal timing. Annals of Clinical Biochemistry: International Journal of Laboratory Medicine. 54, 20-32. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004563216668378 external link
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