dwarfism Dwarfism, also known as pituitary dwarfism, is a group of developmental disorders caused by genetic or medical factors. It refers to a condition in which a child's height is more than 2 standard deviations below the average height of children of the same age and gender in similar living conditions, or when the height increases less than 4-5 cm per year. Dwarfism is a common pediatric disease in clinical practice, with complex causes, mainly divided into normal growth variation and pathological short stature. Among them, growth hormone deficiency dwarfism caused by endocrine system disorders is the most common.

Based on the etiology, dwarfism is mainly divided into normal growth variation and pathological short stature.

Normal growth variation includes familial short stature (FSS), constitutional delay of growth (CDG), idiopathic short stature (ISS), small for gestational age (SGA), etc.

Pathological short stature includes growth hormone deficiency (GHD), malnutrition, glucocorticoid therapy, gastrointestinal diseases, precocious puberty, Turner syndrome, and other chronic diseases. Based on the clinical presentation, patients can be classified into two major categories:

Disproportionate dwarfism: characterized by disproportionate limbs and trunk.

Proportionate dwarfism: where the body proportions are similar to those of the general population, but smaller in overall size.

The most typical symptom of dwarfism is short stature, below the average height of normal peers of the same age.

This can be further classified based on whether the stature is proportionate:

Disproportionate stature: characterized by disproportionate limbs and trunk, with short limbs or a short trunk, and possibly a disproportionately large head. Generally, intelligence is not affected.

Proportionate stature: where the overall body proportions are similar to those of the general population but smaller, often due to early childhood illness or other factors affecting overall growth and development, resulting in multi-system developmental problems.

Emotional support: Family members should pay attention to the emotional well-being of the patient, engage in conversations, and help the patient face life positively.

Adequate sleep: Sufficient sleep can assist the patient in resting well and promoting growth and development.

Daily life management: Patients with dwarfism should focus on maintaining a good emotional state, establishing regular routines, engaging in appropriate physical activity, and maintaining a balanced diet under the guidance of a professional medical practitioner or nutritionist.

There are no specific preventive measures for dwarfism. However, in cases with a family history, genetic testing of amniotic fluid during pregnancy and regular monitoring of a child's growth rate and bone age can be helpful in prevention.