Assessment of Pubertal Development in Egyptian Girls

Abstract

Puberty is a significant event of human growth and maturation associated with marked physiological and psychological changes. The aim of this study was to assess normal pubertal development in Egyptian girls to define normal, precocious and delayed puberty. The present study included a cross-sectional sample of 1,550 normal Egyptian girls of high and middle socioeconomic class living in Cairo. Their ages ranged from 6.5 to 18.5 years. Pubertal assessment was made according to Tanner staging. The mean menarcheal age (MMA) was estimated using probit analysis. Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The mean age at breast bud stage (B2) was 10.71+/-1.6, pubic hair stage (PH2) was 10.46+/-1.36, while axillary hair stage (A2) was 11.65+/-1.62 and MMA was 12.44 years. The mean age at attainment of puberty was compared with those of other Egyptian studies and other populations. Girls of the present study started pubertal development and achieved menarche earlier than those of previous Egyptian studies confirming a secular trend. Differences between the present study and other worldwide studies can be attributed to various genetic, racial, geographical, nutritional, and secular trend factors.

Pubertal breast development in primary school girls in Sokoto, North-western Nigeria

“…The mean (SD) age of pubertal onset of 10.50 (1.33) years found in this study is similar to the 10.55 (1.57) reported by Bazrafshan et al [25] in Northern Iran in 2005, and slightly lower than the 10.71 years reported in Egypt by Hosney et al [14] in 2000. However, our finding is higher than the 9.50 but similar to the 10.30 years reported by Wu et al [9] from a study on African Americans and white Americans, respectively, in the USA in 2002.…”

“…[19] These variations could be due to racial, geographical, nutritional and socioeconomic differences. The fact that the studies reporting an earlier mean age of pubertal onset were more recently conducted than those reporting later pubertal onset, particularly in the same countries, [11,25] may suggest a secular trend, a decreasing average age of puberty over time, towards the earlier onset of puberty, especially in developed countries. This is attributed to better nutrition and perhaps a greater prevalence of overweight and obese girls, and improved socioeconomic conditions.…”

“…Few studies on pubertal onset have been conducted on African children living in Africa. [13,14] The influence of environment and geographical location on pubertal timing has been previously documented. [15,16] Most Nigerian studies have focused on age at menarche and influencing factors.…”

Telarquia y estado nutricional: Estudio epidemiológico en dos grupos étnicos

“…4 meses, se adelanta con el exceso de peso, se atrasa con el déficit de talla y que este evento puberal no está influenciado por la etnia mapuche, la ruralidad, ni otros factores socioeconómi-cos. La edad de telarquia encontrada en este estudio no concuerda con la reportada por Codner y cols quienes detectaron en niñas de algunas escuelas de la ciudad de Santiago una edad promedio de su estadio 2 de mamas según Tanner de 8,88 años 9 , pero sí está más de acuerdo con lo descrito en otros artículos internacionales y nacionales en que la edad de la telarquia es después de los 10 años [16][17][18] .…”

Educating Mothers and Girls about Knowledge and Practices toward Puberty Hygiene in Tabriz, Iran: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…Puberty is a significant event of human growth and maturation; it is associated with marked physiological and psychological changes (1). According to the Statistical Center of Iran, more than 20% of the population (approximately 75 million) consists of 10-to 19-year-old adolescents (2).…”