Causes of Dwarfism

Dwarfism

Medical disorder called dwarfism is responsible for many small people you may see on the street. This condition affects people who are shorter than 4 feet and 10 inches, only if they are male or female adults, and these people are called dwarfs. Definition stated comes from the LPA or the Little People of America organization. Many researches have been conducted and they all confirm that this condition does not impair the intellect of an individual. They will live long and have normal intelligence. There are more than 200 medical conditions that fall into the group called dwarfism, but the condition called achondroplasia is the main condition coming from this group, which is responsible for 70-80% of all dwarfism cases. Luckily, mortality in people affected by achondroplasia is very close to people who aren't affected by dwarfism.

Causes

Mutations and genetic disorders are the main causes of the dwarfism, but some are still very strange and unknown to us. We will talk more about this in the following text.

Achondroplasia has already been mentioned and this genetic condition is responsible for more than 70% of dwarfism cases. Achondroplasia shortens the legs and arms, while the trunk and the head remain normal. Mutation associated with this condition occurs while the fertilization of the egg by the sperm is taking place, so the fetus gets one normal copy of the egg and one mutated copy. Homozygous is a fatal condition that targets children whose both parents have achondroplasia. But there are parents with normal height with the child affected by the condition in question, so this condition is still somewhat a mystery. Turner syndrome occurs when the X chromosome is deleted or altered by the egg or the sperm during the conception. Girls who have two X chromosomes are only affected by this condition, which causes low set ears, broad chest, short stature and other physical abnormalities. The GHD, or the growth hormone deficiency, can lead to dwarfism as well. Somatotroin is the human growth hormone and this condition impairs the production of this hormone. Reproduction and growth of the cells are aided by this hormone. Pituitary gland’s improper functioning and poor nutrition are some of the causes of this condition. Pituitary dwarfism is usually a result of the GHD.

Other causes include diastrophic dysplasia, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia and primordial dwarfism. Primordial dwarfism can be detected before birth with the use of an ultrasound. The fetus would exhibit growth deficiencies or it would be too small during the gestational period. Causes of this rare condition have not been discovered at this time. People with dwarfism can continue with their lives and get accustomed to their disabilities. Do not let this disorder stand in your way of a happy life.