Short-term effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue treatment on leptin, ghrelin and peptide YY in girls with central precocious puberty.

Objectives: To determine appetite-regulating hormone levels in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP) before and after 20 weeks of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH-A) treatment.

Methods: Eighteen newly diagnosed CPP girls were enrolled. Body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis and GnRH-A test were performed with fasting serum leptin, ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY) measurements at baseline (before) and after 20 weeks of GnRH-A treatment.

Results: Following GnRH-A treatment, all patients had prepubertal gonadotropin and estradiol levels. Mean (SD) fat mass index (FMI) was significantly increased from 4.5 (1.7) to 5.0 (1.8) kg/m after treatment. Also, median (IQR) serum leptin level was significantly increased from 6.9 (4.2-8.6) to 7.4 (5.3-13.1) ng/mL. FMI had a positive correlation with serum leptin level (r=0.64, p=0.004). In contrast, no significant changes of serum ghrelin and PYY levels were observed.

Conclusions: Decreased estrogen following short-term GnRH-A treatment in CPP girls may cause an increase in appetite and consequently an elevation of FMI. Increased serum leptin may be a result of having increased FMI secondary to an increase in appetite.