National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Dwarfism is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
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National Institutes of Health
Dwarfism
Also called: Little person
A dwarf is a person of short stature - under 4' 10" as an adult. More than 200 different conditions can cause dwarfism. A single type, called achondroplasia, causes about 70 percent of all dwarfism. Achondroplasia is a genetic condition that affects about 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 40,000 people. It makes your arms and legs short in comparison to your head and trunk. Other genetic conditions, kidney disease and problems with metabolism or hormones can also cause short stature.
Dwarfism itself is not a disease. However, there is a greater risk of some health problems. With proper medical care, most people with dwarfism have active lives and live as long as other people.
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Start Here
- Achondroplasia(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Dwarfism(Nemours Foundation)
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
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The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Dwarfism(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Dwarfism: Frequently Asked Questions(Little People of America)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Genetic Testing(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Specific Conditions
- Campomelic Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Diastrophic Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Ellis-Van Creveld Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Hypochondroplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Kniest Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Primordial Dwarfism(Nemours Foundation)
- Pseudoachondroplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
- Thanatophoric Dysplasia(Nemours Foundation)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Achondroplasia(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dwarfism(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Achondroplasia
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: 3-M syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Achondrogenesis(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Achondroplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Atelosteogenesis type 2(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Campomelic dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Cartilage-hair hypoplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Diastrophic dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Ellis-van Creveld syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Hypochondrogenesis(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Hypochondroplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Isolated growth hormone deficiency(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Kniest dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Metatropic dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Pseudoachondroplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Robinow syndrome(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: SADDAN(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia, Strudwick type(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Spondylothoracic dysostosis(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Thanatophoric dysplasia(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: 3-M syndrome
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Dwarfism: Glossary of Terms(Little People of America)
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Organizations
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Children
- Dwarfism(Nemours Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Achondroplasia
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
