[INTERSEX DISORDERS] Paediatrician calls for early detection of intersex disorders

A paediatric surgeon, Dr. Sebastian Ekenze, has called for early detection of intersex disorders in children, saying that such will save the patients from stigma at a later stage in life.
Dr. Ekenze gave this advice on Wednesday, while reacting to the mob attack on a man who was discovered to be possessing female-size breasts last month in Sapele, Delta State.

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Ekenze is a consultant paediatric surgeon, with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
Ekenze described intersex disorder as “a condition in which the reproductive structures do not fit the typical male or female.”
According to him, “the anomaly has a worldwide occurrence and affects about 1 in 4500 children.”
He said, “Though most of the cases are evident at birth, some affected persons may be discovered at puberty or during investigation for infertility, and less commonly some cases may live and die with the disorder without anyone ever knowing.”
The consultant disclosed that these abnormalities occur “if there was defect in the sex chromosome, or there was abnormal development of the testes or ovaries, or there was abnormal production of the sex-related hormones, or there was failure of the body to respond normally to the sex-related hormones.”
He said, “The exact cause of these abnormalities is unknown. However, some of the cases are familiar, and some follow diseases in the mother, or drugs used by the mother during pregnancy.”
Ekenze classified the disorder to include “female intersex, male intersex, and true intersex,” noting further that “a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside.
He also called for parents’ education during antenatal visits and public enlightenment to identify early features of the disease, plus the need and benefits of early treatment, education and re-education of primary and secondary care physicians and healthcare workers on early diagnosis.
He said that there was need for early referral for this disorder and other anomalies through regular workshop and outreach programmes.

Culled - Punch

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