The effect of environmental factors on precocious puberty in children: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Recently the prevalence of precocious puberty development is increasing among Chinese children. Proper understanding of the risk factors for precocious puberty in children is pivotal as could help to improve children's health. This study aims to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on precocious puberty in children. METHODS: We matched the cases and controls by age at the ratio of 1:1 (201 cases and 201 controls) for girls and 1:4 (24 cases and 96 controls) for boys. We used conditional logistic regression to explore the effect of environmental factors on precocious puberty, and a random forest model to identify the most important risk factor. RESULTS: In the multivariate regression, cesarean section (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.05, 3.76), child body mass index [BMI] (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.43), maternal BMI (OR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.26), and exposure to secondhand smoke several times a month but less than once a week (OR = 4.09, 95%CI: 1.79,9.35), and almost every day (OR = 6.48, 95% CI: 2.14, 19.56) were risk factors for precocious puberty in girls. While maternal height (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.88), paternal height (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85, 0.98), bedtime at night (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.51), and night sleep (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.86) were protective factors. In boys, only exposure to secondhand smoke several times a month but less than once a week (OR = 7.94, 95% CI: 1.25, 50.33) was a risk factor for precocious puberty. In the random forest model, Child BMI was the most important risk factor for precocious puberty in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that environmental factors were associated with precocious puberty in children, particularly in girls.

Current situation of menstruation and gynecological diseases prevalence among Chinese women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Gynecological diseases have been taken attention and studied worldwide. Although, no recent studies have delineated the magnitude of gynecological diseases among Chinese women. This study aims to evaluate the current situation of menstruation and gynecological diseases prevalence among Chinese women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital affiliated with Nanjing medical university in Nanjing, China between September 2021 and February 2022. A sample size of 977 women aged 18-52 years participated in a face-to-face interview questionnaire. Logistic regression was performed to determine whether pubertal timing and menstrual characteristics were associated with gynecological diseases. RESULTS: The most prevalent gynecological disease was dysmenorrhea (45.96%), followed by polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS (19.04%), uterine fibroids (14.23%), spontaneous abortion (13.20%), trouble conceiving (12.59%), ovarian dysfunction (11.16%) and endometriosis (4.09%). In the adjusted model, heavy bleeding with large clots was associated with an increased risk of dysmenorrhea (odds ratio, OR = 5.01, 95% Confidence interval, CI 2.26, 11.10; p = 0.000), while history of precocious puberty diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk of dysmenorrhea (OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.26, 0.94; p = 0.031). Regular menstrual cycle in the past 12 months and regular menstrual periods were associated with decreased risk of PCOS (OR = 0.44, 95%CI 0.30, 0.65; p = 0.000) and (OR = 0.52, 95%CI 0.36, 0.74; p = 0.000), respectively. Histories of early thelarche, early menarche, and precocious puberty diagnosis were associated with increased risk of ovarian dysfunction (OR = 1.96, 95%CI 1.25, 3.08, p = 0.004), (OR = 2.26, 95%CI 1.24, 4.13; p = 0.008) and (OR = 2.79, 95%CI 1.36, 5.74; p = 0.005), respectively. Heavy bleeding and heavy bleeding with large clots were associated with endometriosis (OR = 4.92, 95%CI 1.50, 16.15, p = 0.009) and (OR = 5.67, 95%CI 1.42, 22.56; p = 0.014), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of gynecological diseases is increasing among Chinese women and pubertal timing and menstrual characteristics may be associated with some gynecological diseases, specifically dysmenorrhea, PCOS, ovarian dysfunction, and endometriosis.