Dwarfism

Whenever I feel short, compared to my peers at school, I always wish to be tall. Then there's times when I'm happy with my height. However, there's not much we can do about our height now because our growth hormones have stopped producing, or have minimized production. When the growth hormones in our bodies produce too little hormones though, a disease called Dwarfism occurs.


Dwarfism is generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or less (147 centimeters). The average adult height among people with dwarfism is 4 feet (122 cm).

There are two common types of Dwarfism:

• Disproportionate
• Proportionate 

The difference between the two is pretty self explanatory but nonetheless:

• Disproportionate Dwarfism typically means when some parts of the body are small, and others are of average size or above-average size. Disorders causing disproportionate dwarfism inhibit the development of bones.
• Proportionate Dwarfism is basically all parts of the body are small to the same degree and appear to be proportioned like a body of average stature. 

The basic reason for dwarfism is that the growth hormone in the body does not produce enough of itself and thus the bones and muscles do not develop as much. However, another common reason for dwarfism is a disorder called achondroplasia, which causes disproportionately short stature. This disorder usually results in the following. Another cause of disproportionate dwarfism is a rare disorder called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC).

Proportionate dwarfism results from medical conditions present at birth or appearing in early childhood that limit overall growth and development. Therefore, the head, trunk and limbs are all small, but they are proportionate to each other. Because these disorders affect overall growth, many of them result in poor development of one or more body systems.
Growth hormone deficiency is a relatively common cause of proportionate dwarfism. It occurs when the pituitary gland fails to produce an adequate supply of growth hormone, which is essential for regular childhood growth.

Most dwarfism treatments don't increase stature but may alleviate problems caused by complications. 
Surgical procedures that may correct problems with bones in people with disproportionate dwarfism include:

• Inserting metal staples into the ends of long bones where growth occurs (growth plates) in order to correct the direction in which bones are growing
• Dividing a limb bone, straightening it and inserting metal plates to hold it in place
• Inserting rods or staples to help correct the shape of the spine
• Increasing the size of the opening in bones of the spine (vertebrae) to alleviate pressure on the spinal cord 

Some people with dwarfism elect to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. With this procedure, the surgeon divides a long bone into two or more sections, separates the sections slightly and braces the bone and limb with external metal "scaffolding." Pins and screws on this frame are periodically adjusted to keep tension between the sections, enabling the bone to grow back together gradually into a complete but longer bone.

This procedure is controversial for many people with dwarfism because, as with all surgeries, there are risks, and because the "correction" in stature may imply there's something wrong with being short.


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