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His testosterone levels were exceptionally high, as high as that of a 25-year-old, because of which he had started experiencing physical changes. Since he was so young, he was not able to understand what was happening—Doctor
A Delhi hospital is currently treating a one-year-old baby with a rare condition called precocious puberty—which means he is not only taller than other children his age, but has fully developed sexual organs, extremely high testosterone levels and presence of facial and body hair, a report said on Monday.
Doctors, according to it, say the baby experiences sexual urges too, but is too young to realise what is happening to his body.
The boy's parents noticed the physical changes in him when he was six months old. At first they thought he was just a big baby. But soon, they noticed his genitals too had started growing abnormally.
“We thought maybe he was just a big baby, so we did not take him to the doctor. But by the time he was one, it was apparent there was something wrong. My mother-in-law, who has taken care of several children in the family, also said that his growth seemed unnatural. That is when we took him to the doctor,” his mother was quoted as saying in a report.
The toddler was then taken to a doctor when he was 18 months old. By then, a report said he was 95cm tall, 10-15cm taller than children his age, and had already started getting facial and body hair.
“His testosterone levels were exceptionally high, as high as that of a 25-year-old, because of which he had started experiencing physical changes. Since he was so young, he was not able to understand what was happening. He would experience sexual urges too,” the doctor treating the boy was quoted as saying.
“It is a rare case that happens once in 10 odd years. Precocious puberty is traumatic for a child of his age. The baby can’t express his feelings or understand what his happening to him, while his parents are left confused,” said Dr Vaishakhi Rustagi, the consulting paediatric endocrinologist at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh.
“If such children are not treated, they will become violent. The physical changes will not be suitable for their age. They will also stop growing after a few years and remain about 3-4ft tall.”
