Dwarfism is defined as marked permanent shortness of stature, with predicted adult height of the person less than 4 standard deviations from the mean. An adult may be called a dwarf, if his height is less than 4 feet.
What are the causes of short stature?
Normal variant of short stature
- Familial short stature
- Constitutional growth delay
- Racial.
Proportionate dwarfism
- Prenatal
- Intrauterine growth retardation
- Antenatal infection in mother (TORCH*,syphilis, AIDS)
- Antenatal consumption of alcohol, tobacco, heroin
- Chromosomal disorders (Down's syndrome, Turner's syndrome).
- Postnatal
- Malnutrition ,Protein-energy malnutrition, anorexia nervosa
- Endocrine disorder growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, precocious puberty pseudohypoparathyroidism
- Cardiovascular disorders of cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart disease, early onset rheumatic heart disease.
- Respiratory disorders Kartagener's syndrome, cystic lung disease, childhood asthma
- Renal disorders renal tubular acidosis, renal rickets, nephrotic syndrome, chronic' pyelonephritis
- Blood disorders ,chronic anemia like thalassemia or sickle cell anemia leukemia
- Psychosocial disorders (maternal deprivation)
- Rickets
- Skeletal dysplasia (kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis)
- Defective bone formation (osteopetrosis, osteogenesis imperfecta)
- Defective cartilage growth (achondroplasia multiple cartilagenous exostosis)
- Defective bone matrix (fibrous dysplasia)
- Inborn error of metabolism (mucopolysaccharidosis)
- Calcium and phosphorus metabolism defects (hyperphosphatemic rickets)
- Metabolic disease (Wilson's disease, zinc deficiency).
- Hereditory
- Constitutiona; delay in growth
- Protein energy malnutrition (this is the commonest cause of malnutrition in developing countries)
- Rickets.
- Cretinism.
- Pituitary dwarf.
- Achondroplasia: mucopolysaccharidosis
- Congenital cyanotic heart diseases e.g. Fallot s tetralogy
- Gross kyphoscoliosis
- Down’s syndrome or Turner's syndrome.
