Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Dwarfism (pronounced dwo[?]fiz’m IPA: /’dw???f?z?m/) is a medical term describing a person of short stature, with the most widely accepted definition of a dwarf being a person with an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches (147cm). [1] Dwarfism can be caused by over 200 separate medical conditions, and as such the symptoms of individual dwarfs can vary greatly. People who are affected by dwarfism are often referred to as “little people.”[2]
Characteristics of dwarfism vary greatly in individuals. Disproportionate dwarfism is identified by one or more body parts being disproportionately large or small compared to the rest of the body, with growth abnormalities in specific areas being apparent. In cases of proportionate dwarfism the body parts are proportional to each other with a general lack of growth being apparent. Hypotonia is common in dwarfs, but intelligence and life span are usually normal.
The most common cause of dwarfism is achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder responsible for 70% of dwarfism cases.[1] In cases of achondroplasia the limbs are disproportionally short compared to the trunk, with the head being larger than normal and frontal bossing being apparent on the face. Conditions in humans characterized by disproportional body parts are typically caused by one or more genetic disorders in bone or cartilage development. Forms of extreme shortness in humans characterized by proportional body parts usually have a hormonal or nutritional cause such as growth hormone deficiency, once known as “pituitary dwarfism”.[2]
There is no universal treatment for dwarfism. Individual abnormalities such as bone growth disorders can sometimes be treated through surgery, and some hormone disorders can be treated through medication, but in most cases it is impossible to treat all of the symptoms of dwarfism. Most of the time lifestyle remedies are needed in order to cope with the effects of dwarfism. In-home devices like specialized furniture is often needed to help people who have dwarfism function normally. Many support groups also exist in order to help sufferers of dwarfism cope with the challenges they face and to help them function independently.
Dwarfism is a highly visible condition that can often carry negative connotations in society. Some believe that people afflicted with dwarfism are intellectually challenged or have personality disorders. Due to their unusual height, people with dwarfism are often used as spectacles in entertainment or portrayed with derogatory stereotypes. In popular culture dwarfs are often portrayed in roles directly related to their abnormal height. Heightism is a serious problem that can lead to ridicule as a child and discrimination as an an adult for a person with dwarfism.
Dwarfism is a medical disorder with the sole requirement being an adult height of under 4 foot 10 inches. The term “dwarfism” can be ambiguous, but the underlying syndromes have their own specific classifications. Dwarfism is not usually referred to as a medical disfunction in its own right, but is used to describe a category of syndromes that all have the end effect of short stature. Individuals with dwarfism are medically termed as either dwarfs or little people.
The universal defining characteristic of dwarfism is an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches. Since those afflicted with dwarfism have such a wide range of physical characteristics, oddities in individuals are understood by diagnosing and observing the underlying disorders.
Disproportionate dwarfism is characterized by one or more body parts being disproportionately large or small compared to the rest of the body. In achondroplasia the trunk is normally sized with the limbs being disproportionately short, the head being larger than usual, and the forehead being prominent.[3] Facial features are often affected and individual body parts may have problems associated with them. Orthopedic problems can arise across multiple conditions such as diastrophic dysplasia and pseudoachondroplasia.
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