IMPE Abstracts

Introduction: the existing literature does not elucidate the influence of food intake on anthropometric changes during treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogs in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) in girls.

Aim: to assess the nutritional status and food consumption of Brazilian girls diagnosed with CPP in treatment with leuprolide acetate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: a cross-sectional study was conducted at pediatric endocrinology clinics in São Paulo, Brazil. It included 59 girls aged between five and twelve years, with CPP, in regular use of leuprolide acetate. Data collection from medical records and the application of a food frequency questionnaire (QFCA) were carried out from May to December 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative analysis of the QFCA considered the healthy food consumption markers (beans, fruits, vegetables, and vegetables) and unhealthy food consumption markers (hamburgers, sweetened drinks, ultra-processed foods, and sweets). In contrast, the quantification analysis used the Fornés food consumption score.

Results: the median age was nine years, and the median age of the thelarche was seven years. The median age at treatment onset was 8.2 years, and the mean duration of treatment was 16.8 ± 12.3 months. 78% of the patients had the adequate height for their age and sex. However, 50.8% were above their family growth channel. In addition, 61% of patients were overweight or obese. 31 (52.5%) patients decreased their BMI Z-score during treatment, and 28 (47.5%) increased it. 69.5% of patients maintained their initial BMI classification. The group of patients who decreased their BMI Z-score had higher score values for healthy food consumption markers (P=0.02), including fresh fruits (P=0.04) and vegetables (P=0.01), compared to the group with an increased BMI Z-score. There was a negative correlation between the BMI Z-score change and the score for healthy food consumption markers (P=0.02), including fresh fruits (P=0.02) and vegetables (P=0.02).

Conclusion: higher consumption of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, was correlated with a decrease in the BMI Z-score, suggesting a dietary influence on the energy balance in this group of patients with CPP using leuprolide acetate.