Talk:Short stature

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I am parking this paragraph i wrote for the ref desk here for future use.

  • Dwarfism is extreme shortness due to abnormalities of bone structure. There are hundreds of types of this; most cause disproportionate shortness. Achondroplasia is the most easily recognized common form. The most publicized treatment that adds several inches is limb-lengthening surgery (Ilizarov procedure).
  • Extreme proportional shortness is usually the result of untreated growth hormone deficiency. William Stratton/Tom Thumb had this. Although growth hormone is a single hormone made by the pituitary gland, there many causes of deficiency. Growth hormone treatment can make a several inch difference in height. Midget is no longer used in a medical context (as mentioned above) and we prevent the really extreme degrees of proportional shortness by treating them, but it is probably fair to say that most people considered extreme midgets in the past probably had untreated GH deficiency.
  • Pygmies are people with extreme proportional shortness due to a specific genetic variation. Because the gene difference is spread thoughout their population, the short stature is not considered a disease. The biological difference in the largest pygmy population, the Efe, has been reported to be reduced senitivity to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), but this is not consdired conclusively established, as they do have a difference in the principal IGF-1 receptor gene (IGF1R). Other pygmy peoples besides the Efe are known, and may have different genetic differences.
  • From a medical perspective, there are many other causes of both proportionate and disproportionate shortness than these 3 categories. alteripse 00:07, 5 October 2005 (UTC)