Short stature
Short stature is a variation in human height with medical and social dimensions.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Short stature describes a person whose height falls below what is typical, though what counts as "short" shifts depending on the situation. Because the term lacks a precise cutoff, people often disagree on exactly how short someone must be to qualify. Dwarfism refers to extreme shortness usually linked to a medical condition. Medically, short stature in adults is defined as a height more than two standard deviations below the average for one’s age and sex—meaning the shortest 2.3% of that population.
In children and young adults, shortness almost always stems from slower-than-normal growth during childhood, known as stunted growth. In older adults, it typically results from height loss due to spinal curvature (kyphosis) or collapsed vertebrae from osteoporosis. The most common reasons for childhood short stature are constitutional growth delay or familial short stature.
From a medical standpoint, severe shortness can simply be a normal variation, arising from the combined effect of multiple family genes. It can also result from one or more abnormal conditions, such as long-term growth hormone or thyroid hormone deficiency, malnutrition, major organ disease, mistreatment, certain medications, or chromosomal deletions. Human growth hormone (HGH) deficiency can appear at any point in infancy or childhood, with the clearest sign being a noticeable slowdown in growth; this deficiency may be genetic. In children without HGH deficiency, short stature may stem from Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome, chronic kidney disease, being small for gestational age at birth, Prader–Willi syndrome, Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome, or other conditions. Genetic skeletal dysplasias (also called osteochondrodysplasia) usually cause short-limbed disproportionate short stature. When no cause is found, it is labeled idiopathic short stature.
Short stature can also occur when bone plates fuse earlier than normal, limiting growth. Typically, bone age matches biological age, but in some people it is older. Many with advanced bone age experience an early growth spurt that brings them to average height, but they stop growing sooner. However, for naturally shorter individuals, an advanced bone age can lead to an even shorter final height than they would have otherwise reached.
- Definition
- Adult height more than two standard deviations below population mean
- Common causes in children
- Constitutional growth delay or familial short stature
- Common cause in older adults
- Loss of height due to kyphosis or collapsed vertebrae from osteoporosis
- Treatment cost per year
- US$20,000 for a small child to over $50,000 for a teenager
- Typical height increase from treatment
- 5 to 10 centimetres (2.0 to 3.9 in)
Lore & Background
Short stature can result from a variety of causes. In children and young adults, it nearly always stems from below-average growth in childhood, while in older adults it usually results from loss of height due to kyphosis of the spine or collapsed vertebrae from osteoporosis. The most common causes in childhood are constitutional growth delay or familial short stature. From a medical perspective, severe shortness can be a normal variation from multiple familial genes, or it can be due to conditions such as growth hormone or thyroid hormone deficiency, malnutrition, disease of a major organ system, mistreatment, certain drugs, or chromosomal deletions. When the cause is unknown, it is called idiopathic short stature.
Reader's Guide
Short stature is significant both medically and culturally. Medically, it is often defined statistically as height more than two standard deviations below the mean, affecting the shortest 2.3% of a population. Treatment with human growth hormone is expensive and requires years of injections, typically increasing final height by 5 to 10 centimetres. The decision to treat is based on a belief that extreme shortness may be disabling, though most very short adults are not physically or psychologically disabled by their height. Culturally, pharmaceutical companies have worked to medicalize short stature to expand their market, funding screening programs without disclosing their involvement. In military history, height restrictions led to the creation of special Bantam Battalions in Britain during World War I. The Napoleon complex is a popular but disputed concept associating short stature with aggressive behavior.
Did You Know?
- Short stature is defined as adult height more than two standard deviations below the population mean, corresponding to the shortest 2.3% of individuals.
- Treatment with human growth hormone costs about US$20,000 per year for a small child and over $50,000 for a teenager.
- During World War I in Britain, men under 5 feet 3 inches were initially denied service, leading to the creation of Bantam Battalions for those 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 3 inches.
- Pharmaceutical companies paid charities to measure children's heights in schools and urge medical consultations, without disclosing the funding.
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