The process by which human beings pass from the prenatal stage to adulthood is complex and full of possible complications. There are, for example, numerous genetic diseases that affect height and can significantly worsen a person’s quality of life if appropriate measures are not taken. Dwarfism, for example, is one of these anomalies .

People who present dwarfism in any of its variants may not only suffer the consequences of having to interact with spaces and architectures that are not designed for them, but also often present some complications related to movement and the use of joints and, on the other hand, are at greater risk of feeling psychological discomfort related to self-esteem and self-concept.

Let’s see what this anomaly is.

What is dwarfism?

Dwarfism is an alteration in a person’s height, which is far below average. That is, taking as a reference the average height in each population group divided by sex, the person with dwarfism does not reach the minimum marked by three standard deviations from the average .

Why it is not a disease

Dwarfism is not in itself a disease or disorder, but the expression of certain developmental disturbances that can cause diseases to appear alongside slow or limited growth.

Strictly speaking, people with dwarfism are only characterised by a much lower height than is statistically normal, which in itself does not necessarily lead to significant health problems.

In practice, however, this does lead to problems, especially with regard to weight distribution and its effect on the joints , since many of the individuals with this disorder are not only lower than normal but their proportions are also very different from those of a non-dwarf adult.

For example, in many cases the head is proportionally very large (macrocephaly) and the limbs are very short, which causes the chest to tilt forward and the head to tilt backward to maintain a stable centre of gravity in order to maintain an upright position. This causes problems over time.

However, the characteristics of people with dwarfism vary greatly depending on the cause of the disorder.

The distinction between short stature and dwarfism

Usually, this “height threshold” that serves to delimit where dwarfism begins is located at approximately 140 cm in men and 160 cm in women. Although this criterion can be qualified, as it also depends on the height of the parents, it is understood that even in very short people the size of the offspring tends to approach statistical normality , a phenomenon known as regression to the mean.

In addition, it is possible to take other measurements to determine cases of dwarfism. For example, the presence of macrocephaly (larger than expected head size in proportion to the rest of the body) is associated with many cases of this anomaly, although it can also appear in people of normal height.

In cases where the person is unusually short but no disease is found associated with this characteristic or a specific cause and the body proportions are normal, these are not considered examples of dwarfism and are called “idiopathic short” , assuming that they are simply the expression of inherited genes.

Types of dwarfism by cause

As we have seen, dwarfism is an anomaly derived from the expression of certain diseases that do not necessarily resemble each other in their origin .

The most common diseases that cause dwarfism to appear are the following:

Achondroplasia

This disease produces about 70% of the cases of dwarfism . It has genetic roots and is expressed even before birth, causing the limbs and chest not to grow as much as the head because of abnormalities in the formation of cartilage.

Celiac disease

It has been seen that the disease that produces problems in cases where gluten is ingested is also associated with the appearance of dwarfism as one of its symptoms.

Growth hormone problems

In this type of dwarfism the cause is found in a deficient secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary gland of the brain. These cases can be corrected by supplying more of this substance artificially.

Rickets

A deficiency in bone development due to problems in mineralizing these structures with sufficient amounts of phosphorus and calcium. In this disease the bones are weak and break easily, and do not reach the expected size .

Possible psychological interventions

People with dwarfism do not necessarily develop psychological problems, but their problems of social adjustment and the possible appearance of discomfort related to the symptoms of associated diseases may make them a potentially vulnerable population group .