{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T17:46:22Z","timestamp":1791913582329,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":11,"publisher":"Walter de Gruyter GmbH","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Objectives<\/jats:title>\n Evaluate the frequency of central precocious puberty (CPP) diagnosis before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n New patient referrals for precocious puberty among patients aged 1\u201312 seen at the Rainbow Babies and Children\u2019s Hospital\u2019s Pediatric Endocrinology Practice were analyzed during three separate periods: \u201cpre-pandemic\u201d between 7\/1\/2018 and 12\/31\/2019, \u201cpandemic\u201d between 7\/1\/2020 and 12\/31\/2021, and \u201cendemic\u201d between 07\/01\/2022 and 12\/31\/2023. Demographic characteristics were compared between time periods.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Of 6,162 new patients seen, 75 were confirmed to be idiopathic CPP. A significant increase in the total number of CPP cases compared to prepandemic levels was only seen during the pandemic period (p=0.038). Analysis across all three periods also did not reveal a statistically significant linear trend in the proportion of CPP cases (p=0.642). The median age of diagnosis was younger during the pandemic (7.7 years) compared to the endemic period (8.5 years), p=0.006, but no other demographic differences were found, including\u00a0BMI.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Our study is the third single-center study in the literature to demonstrate the rise in the cases of CPP as a specific phenomenon to the pandemic period. Increase in stress during the pandemic is the most likely explanation for this transitory rise in the rates of idiopathic\u00a0CPP.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1515\/jpem-2026-0220","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T16:56:46Z","timestamp":1791910606000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessment of central precocious puberty rates during the prepandemic, pandemic, and endemic COVID-19 periods"],"prefix":"10.1515","author":[{"given":"Barbara","family":"Garza-Ornelas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"UH Rainbow Babies and Children\u2019s Hospital , Cleveland , OH , USA"},{"name":"Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland , OH , USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Krithika","family":"Sundaram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Pittsburg , Pittsburgh , PA , USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Umida","family":"Burkhanova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Northeast Ohio Medical University , Rootstown , OH , USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sindhoosha","family":"Malay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nationwide Children\u2019s Hospital , Columbus , OH , USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katherine","family":"Kutney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UH Rainbow Babies and Children\u2019s Hospital , Cleveland , OH , USA"},{"name":"Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland , OH , USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"374","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Calcaterra, V, Tagi, VM, De Santis, R, Biuso, A, Taranto, S, D\u2019Auria, E, et al.. Endocrinological involvement in children and adolescents affected by COVID-19: a narrative review. J\u00a0Clin Med 2023;12:5248. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm12165248.","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12165248"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hoskyns, RB, Howard, SR. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of central precocious puberty: a narrative review. J\u00a0Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2024;37:102\u20139. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1515\/jpem-2023-0507.","DOI":"10.1515\/jpem-2023-0507"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_003","unstructured":"Ohio Department of Education. Data insights: how the pandemic is affecting the 2020\u20132021 school year [internet]. Columbus (OH): Ohio Department of Education; 2021. https:\/\/education.ohio.gov\/Topics\/Research-Evaluation-and-Advanced-Analytics\/Data-Insights\/Data-Insights-on-the-2020-2021-School-Year [Accessed 25 Aug 2026]."},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cheuiche, AV, Teixeira, MG, Moro, C, Guimar\u00e3es, G, Salvador, L, Czepielewski, MA, et al.. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of central precocious puberty: a PRISMA-ScR-compliant scoping review. Arch Endocrinol Metab 2025;69:e240300. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.20945\/2359-4292-2024-0300.","DOI":"10.20945\/2359-4292-2024-0300"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chioma, L, Bizzarri, C, Verzani, M, Fava, D, Salerno, M, Capalbo, D, et al.. Sedentary lifestyle and precocious puberty in girls during the COVID-19 pandemic: an Italian experience. Endocr Connect 2022;11:e210650. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/ec-21-0650.","DOI":"10.1530\/EC-21-0650"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Vargas Trujillo, M, Rungvivatjarus, T, Klein, KO. Incidence of central precocious puberty declines to pre-pandemic levels post COVID-19 pandemic increase: single-center retrospective review in the United\u00a0States. Front Pediatr 2024;12:1352295. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fped.2024.1352295.","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2024.1352295"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cemeroglu, AP, Kaval, D, Ozcan, O. Etiology of increased referrals for evaluation of early puberty in a tertiary care center in Turkey: true precocious puberty, obesity, or parental anxiety and lack of knowledge? Glob Pediatr Health 2021;8:2333794X211009096. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/2333794x211009096.","DOI":"10.1177\/2333794X211009096"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Stagi, S, De Masi, S, Bencini, E, Losi, S, Paci, S, Parpagnoli, M, et al.. Increased incidence of precocious and accelerated puberty in females during and after the Italian lockdown for the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ital J Pediatr 2020;46:165. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13052-020-00931-3.","DOI":"10.1186\/s13052-020-00931-3"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fu, D, Li, T, Zhang, Y, Wang, H, Wu, X, Chen, Y, et al.. Analysis of the incidence and risk factors of precocious puberty in girls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internet J Endocrinol 2022;2022:9229153. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/2022\/9229153.","DOI":"10.1155\/2022\/9229153"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Itani, A, Abou Hamdan, A, Zgheib, H, Ghandour, Z, Costanian, C, Azar, A. Increased incidence of precocious puberty in girls during COVID-19 pandemic: early indicator of the upcoming childhood metabolic syndrome pandemic? Glob Pediatr Health 2022;9:2333794X221134565. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/2333794x221134565.","DOI":"10.1177\/2333794X221134565"},{"key":"2026101316564211889_j_jpem-2026-0220_ref_011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Umano, GR, Maddaluno, I, Riccio, S, Lanzaro, F, Antignani, R, Giuliano, M, et al.. Central precocious puberty during COVID-19 pandemic and sleep disturbance: an exploratory study. 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