Treatment of Familial Male Precocious Puberty with Spironolactone and Testolactone

Abstract

Because the pubertal growth spurt in boys appears to be mediated by both androgens and estrogens, we hypothesized that blockade of both androgen action and estrogen synthesis would normalize the growth of boys with familial male precocious puberty. To test this hypothesis, we studied nine boys (age range, 3.3 to 7.7 years) during treatment with an antiandrogen (spironolactone) or an inhibitor of androgen-to-estrogen conversion (testolactone), followed by treatment with both agents. After six months of observation without treatment, the first four boys received spironolactone for six months, followed by spironolactone and testolactone. The next five boys received testolactone for six months, followed by spironolactone and testolactone.