Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33858879›Full record

ArticleBMJ case reports2021

Development of central precocious puberty following cannabinoid use for paediatric epilepsy: causal or coincidence?

Aditya Krishnan, Juliana Chizo Agwu, Chetana Kallappa, Rajesh Pandey

Open access · greenAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ case reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 97% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The impact of cannabinoids on reproductive function.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Aditya KrishnanUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK adityakrishnan@doctors.org.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9759-8015
Juliana Chizo AgwuDepartment of Paediatrics, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8593-187X
Chetana KallappaDepartment of Paediatrics, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Rajesh PandeyDepartment of Paediatrics, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust · GBUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Research suggests a role for cannabidiol oil in managing certain forms of paediatric onset epilepsy. However, studies on the impact of cannabis on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis have conflicting results. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) acutely inhibits gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus, reducing testosterone levels by 65% in rhesus monkeys. Additionally, there have been reports of pubertal arrest and delayed puberty in male cannabis users. In contrast, other studies have reported higher testosterone levels following long-term cannabis use.A 2-year-old boy presented with testicular enlargement, increased penile length and growth of coarse pubic hair developing over 6 months. His mother procured cannabidiol oil online, which he started taking 7 months earlier for severe epilepsy refractory to medical management. Subsequent investigations confirmed central precocious puberty. While it is unclear whether the precocious puberty is a direct consequence of HPG axis activation by Δ9-THC, this case demonstrates a temporal association between cannabis use and development of precocious puberty.

Indexed as

CannabinoidsEpilepsyPuberty, PrecociousChildGonadotropin-Releasing HormoneHumansLuteinizing HormoneMaleTestosteroneCannabinoidsGonadotropin-Releasing HormoneLuteinizing HormoneTestosteronedevelopmental paediatrocsendocrinologyepilepsy and seizuresneuroendocrinology

Identifiers

PMID33858879
PMCPMC8055150
OpenAlexW3156471744

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.