The Relationship of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Agonists and Anthropometric Indices of Girls with Premature Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty: A Cohort Study

Background: This study aims to determine the effect of different GnRH agonist brands on body mass index (BMI), weight, and height in patients referred to the pediatric endocrinology clinic of Akbar Hospital.Methods: In this cohort study, 80 girls aged 5-8 years diagnosed with precocious puberty cases were included according to the Tanner staging and at the second puberty stage. The patients were classified into three groups of GnRH agonists, A, B, and C, receiving Diphereline, Microrelin, and Variopeptyl, respectively. Height, weight, and BMI were calculated every three months.Results: In group A, the weight (P=0.007) and BMI (P<0.001) percentiles and weight (P=0.024) and height (P=0.021) Z-scores were significantly increased compared to the baseline. In group B, the weight (P=0.024) and height (P=0.020) Z-scores also increased at the end of the study. However, the changes in group C were not significant. In addition, the weight, height, and BMI Z-scores were significantly increased in normal-weight subjects compared to overweight and obese participants. The results of comparing the changes in the weight and height between the three-drug groups showed no significant difference (P=0.142 and 0.161, respectively).Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that GnRH agonists could increase height, weight, and BMI; however, this increase was not significant for one type of GnRH agonist. Future prospective long-term follow-up studies are required to elucidate whether GnRH treatment affects final adult weight and height and clarify the difference between various types of GnRH agonists among participants with diverse health statuses.