Definition of Short stature:
Short stature refers to any person who is significantly below the average height for a person of the same age and sex -- specifically, the shortest 3 - 5% of the population.
The term often refers to children or adolescents who are significantly below the average height of their peers.
Considerations:
Short stature is not necessarily a symptom or sign of a health problem. Two relatively short but healthy parents may have an entirely healthy child who is in the shortest 5%.
On the other hand, short stature may be a symptom caused by a medical condition. Since many of these conditions are treatable, the person should be examined by a health care provider. The rate of growth over time is important in determining the cause.
Common Causes:
- Achondroplasia
- Chronic diseases such as congenital heart disease, kidney diseases, asthma, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes
- Constitutional growth delay
- Craniopharyngioma
- Cushing's disease
- Delayed puberty (causes temporary short stature, but normal height is eventually achieved)
- Down syndrome
- Hypothyroidism that develops before birth
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease
- Malnutrition
- Noonan syndrome
- Panhypopituitarism
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Precocious puberty
- Rickets
- Russell-Silver syndrome
- Turner syndrome
- Williams syndrome
This list is not all-inclusive.
