Boys go through puberty at the age of one.

The boy's family discovered that he was taller than children of the same age and had abnormally developed external genitalia when he was only 6 months old.

Akash (not his real name) suffers from a rare hormonal condition called precocious puberty, which causes him to develop genitals, pubic hair and facial hair. The one-year-old boy, born in Delhi, has spiked his testosterone levels to levels that would be expected in a 25-year-old man. Testosterone is a hormone found in the male testicles and in small amounts in the adrenal glands.

Illustration photo.

Akash's mother, who did not want to be named, said her son started showing abnormalities when he was around 6 months old. Not only was he taller than children his age, his external genitalia were also not developing normally, according to Hindustan Times.

"We thought maybe he was too big so we didn't take him to the doctor. However, when he was one year old, everyone realized something was wrong. My mother-in-law, who has experience taking care of several grandchildren, also found it strange. That's when we took him to the doctor," Akash's mother shared.

Akash was started on hormone therapy at 18 months. By this time, his voice had begun to crack. He stood 95cm, 10-15cm taller than his peers. After five months of treatment, his hormone development and genital size had slowed down. Akash is now prescribed monthly doses until he is mentally stable enough to notice the changes in his body.

Tests showed that Akash's testosterone levels were 500-600 nanograms (ng) per deciliter (dl), while a one-year-old's testosterone is typically only 20 ng/dl.

"The patient's testosterone levels were unusually high, at the level of a 25-year-old man. As a result, Akash began to experience physical changes. Since he was so young, he could not understand what was happening. He would also experience sexual desires," said Dr Vaishakhi Rustagi, a paediatric endocrinologist at Max Super Speciality Hospital.

According to Mr Rustagi, precocious puberty is psychologically traumatic for a child of Akash’s age. The boy’s muscle strength develops to the point that even his parents cannot control him. If left untreated, such children can become violent.

Precocious puberty is extremely rare, especially in young children like Akash. Dr Rustagi said that only one in 100,000 children have the syndrome. The rate increases to two in 100,000 children between the ages of 8 and 10.

In 1939, Lina Medina, the youngest mother in history, gave birth in Peru at the age of 5 years and 7 months. Lina’s parents thought she had a tumor that caused her stomach to swell and took her to the hospital. Just one month later, Lina surprised the world by giving birth to a baby boy.

According to Ngoisao.net