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Dwarfism
Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . ''Disproportionate dwarfism'' is characterized by either Rhizomelia, short limbs or a short torso. In cases of ''proportionate dwarfism'', both the limbs and torso are unusually small. Intelligence is usually normal, and most people with it have a nearly normal life expectancy. People with dwarfism can usually bear children, although there are additional Pregnancy risks, risks to the mother and child depending upon the underlying condition. The most common and recognizable form of dwarfism in humans (comprising 70% of cases) is achondroplasia, a genetic disorder whereby the limbs are diminutive. Growth hormone deficiency is responsible for most other cases. There are many other less common causes. Treatment of the condition depends on the u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midget
Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a Medical terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with dwarfism, a medical condition with a number of causes, most often achondroplasia), ''midget'' long described anyone, or indeed any animal, exhibiting proportionate dwarfism. The word has a history of association with the Performance art, performance arts, as dwarfism, little people were often employed by acts in the circus, professional wrestling and vaudeville. The term may also refer to anything of much smaller than normal size, as a synonym for "miniature" or "mini", such as midget cell, midget crabapple, midget flowerpecker, midget submarine, MG Midget, Daihatsu Midget, and the Midget Mustang airplane; or to anything that regularly uses anything that is smaller than normal (other than a person), such as midget car racing and Quarter Mid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Achondroplasia
Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. It is the most common cause of dwarfism and affects about 1 in 27,500 people. In those with the condition, the Rhizomelia, arms and legs are short, while the torso is typically of normal length. Those affected have an average adult height of for males and for females. Other features can include an Macrocephaly, enlarged head with Skull bossing, prominent forehead (frontal bossing) and underdevelopment of the midface (midface hypoplasia). Complications can include sleep apnea or recurrent ear infections. Achondroplasia includes the extremely rare short-limb skeletal dysplasia with severe combined immunodeficiency. Achondroplasia is caused by a mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (''FGFR3'') gene that results in its protein being Gain-of-function, overactive. Achondroplasia results in impaired endochondral bone growth (bone growth within car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osteochondrodysplasia
An osteochondrodysplasia,Etymology: . or skeletal dysplasia, is a disorder of the development of bone and cartilage. Osteochondrodysplasias are rare diseases. About 1 in 5,000 babies are born with some type of skeletal dysplasia. Nonetheless, if taken collectively, genetic skeletal dysplasias or osteochondrodysplasias comprise a recognizable group of genetically determined disorders with generalized skeletal affection. These disorders lead to disproportionate short stature and bone abnormalities, particularly in the arms, legs, and spine. Skeletal dysplasia can result in marked functional limitation and even mortality. Osteochondrodysplasias or skeletal dysplasia subtypes can overlap in clinical aspects, therefore plain radiography is absolutely necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging can provide further diagnostic insights and guide treatment strategies especially in cases of spinal involvement. As some disorders that cause skeletal dysplasia have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Growth Hormone Deficiency
Growth hormone deficiency (GHD), or hyposomatotropism, is a medical condition resulting from not enough growth hormone (GH). Generally the most noticeable symptom is that an individual attains a short height. Newborns may also present low blood sugar or a small penis size. In adults there may be decreased muscle mass, high cholesterol levels, or poor bone density. GHD can be present at birth or develop later in life. Causes may include genetics, trauma, infections, tumors, or radiation therapy. Genes that may be involved include '' GH1'', '' GHRHR'', or '' BTK''. In a third of cases no cause is apparent. The underlying mechanism generally involves problems with the pituitary gland. Some cases are associated with a lack of other pituitary hormones, in which case it is known as combined pituitary hormone deficiency. Diagnosis involves blood tests to measure growth hormone levels. Treatment is by growth hormone replacement using synthetic human growth hormone. The frequen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypochondroplasia
Hypochondroplasia (HCH) is a developmental disorder caused by an autosomal dominant genetic defect in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene ('' FGFR3'') that results in a disproportionately short stature, micromeliaupdate 2013 and a head that appears large in comparison with the underdeveloped portions of the body. It is classified as short-limbed dwarfism. Signs and symptoms Individuals affected by this disorder appear normal at birth. As the infant grows, however, their arms and legs do not develop properly, and their body becomes thicker and shorter than normal. The following are characteristics consistent with this condition: * Brachydactyly * Short stature * Micromelia * Skeletal dysplasia * Abnormality of femur Cause Hypochondroplasia is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait affecting the ''FGFR3'' gene on chromosome 4p16.3. There is currently no cure for this condition. Pathophysiology This disorder results from mutations in the proximal tyrosine kinase doma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Growth Hormone Deficiency
Growth hormone deficiency (GHD), or hyposomatotropism, is a medical condition resulting from not enough growth hormone (GH). Generally the most noticeable symptom is that an individual attains a short height. Newborns may also present low blood sugar or a small penis size. In adults there may be decreased muscle mass, high cholesterol levels, or poor bone density. GHD can be present at birth or develop later in life. Causes may include genetics, trauma, infections, tumors, or radiation therapy. Genes that may be involved include '' GH1'', '' GHRHR'', or '' BTK''. In a third of cases no cause is apparent. The underlying mechanism generally involves problems with the pituitary gland. Some cases are associated with a lack of other pituitary hormones, in which case it is known as combined pituitary hormone deficiency. Diagnosis involves blood tests to measure growth hormone levels. Treatment is by growth hormone replacement using synthetic human growth hormone. The frequen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Growth Plate
The epiphyseal plate, epiphysial plate, physis, or growth plate is a hyaline cartilage plate in the metaphysis at each end of a long bone. It is the part of a long bone where new bone growth takes place; that is, the whole bone is alive, with maintenance remodeling throughout its existing bone tissue, but the growth plate is the place where the long bone grows longer (adds length). The plate is only found in children and adolescents; in adults, who have stopped growing, the plate is replaced by an '' epiphyseal line''. This replacement is known as epiphyseal closure or growth plate fusion. Complete fusion can occur as early as 12 for girls (with the most common being 14–15 years for girls) and as early as 14 for boys (with the most common being 15–17 years for boys). Structure Development Endochondral ossification is responsible for the initial bone development from cartilage in utero and infants and the longitudinal growth of long bones in the epiphyseal plate. The plate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short Stature
Short stature refers to a height of a human which is below typical. Whether a person is considered short depends on the context. Because of the lack of preciseness, there is often disagreement about the degree of shortness that should be called ''short''. Dwarfism is the condition of being very short, often caused by a medical condition. In a medical context, short stature is typically defined as an adult height that is more than two standard deviations below a population’s mean for age and sex, which corresponds to the shortest 2.3% of individuals in that population. Shortness in children and young adults nearly always results from below-average growth in childhood, while shortness in older adults usually results from loss of height due to kyphosis of the spine or collapsed vertebrae from osteoporosis. The most common causes of short stature in childhood are constitutional growth delay or familial short stature. From a medical perspective, severe shortness can be a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hormone Disorders
Endocrine diseases are disorders of the endocrine system. The branch of medicine associated with endocrine disorders is known as endocrinology. Types of disease Broadly speaking, endocrine disorders may be subdivided into three groups: # Endocrine gland hypofunction/hyposecretion (leading to hormone deficiency) # Endocrine gland hyperfunction/hypersecretion (leading to hormone excess) # Tumours (benign or malignant) of endocrine glands Endocrine disorders are often quite complex, involving a mixed picture of hyposecretion and hypersecretion because of the feedback mechanisms involved in the endocrine system. For example, most forms of hyperthyroidism are associated with an excess of thyroid hormone and a low level of thyroid stimulating hormone. List of diseases Glucose homeostasis disorders * Diabetes ** Diabetes mellitus type 1, Type 1 Diabetes ** Diabetes mellitus type 2, Type 2 Diabetes ** Gestational Diabetes ** Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young ** Diabetic myopathy * H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genetic Disorder
A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosome abnormality. Although polygenic disorders are the most common, the term is mostly used when discussing disorders with a single genetic cause, either in a gene or chromosome. The mutation responsible can occur spontaneously before embryonic development (a ''de novo'' mutation), or it can be inherited from two parents who are carriers of a faulty gene ( autosomal recessive inheritance) or from a parent with the disorder (autosomal dominant inheritance). When the genetic disorder is inherited from one or both parents, it is also classified as a hereditary disease. Some disorders are caused by a mutation on the X chromosome and have X-linked inheritance. Very few disorders are inherited on the Y chromosome or mitochondrial DNA (due to their size). There are well over 6,000 known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhizomelia
Rhizomelia refers to either a disproportion of the length of the proximal limb, such as the shortened limbs of achondroplasia, or some other disorder of the hip or shoulder. According to Stedman's medical dictionary "rhizomelic" means "relating to hip or shoulder joints", while "micromelic" means "having disproportionately short or small limbs". Genetic skeletal dysplasias or Osteochondrodysplasia frequently lead to short stature, occasionally termed dwarfism, which is classified into proportionate and disproportionate short stature. Disproportionate short stature is further classified short-limb short stature and short-trunk short stature. In turn, short-limb short stature is classified into a) Rhizomelic, b) mesomelic and c) acromelic short stature. Rhizomelic short stature refers to skeletal dysplasias where the main shortening is due to involvement of the proximal limb segments i.e. femora and humeri. Typical examples of Rhizomelic short stature are achondroplasia and pseudoacho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
