Is dwarfism inherited from one generation to the next?

Walking on the street, we will find that some people are not tall and are as tall as children, but their developmental functions are complete and it does not affect their normal walking activities. This is called dwarfism, which refers to a short stature. There is a chance that dwarfism is inherited, but it cannot be ruled out that it is caused by a mutation in chromosomal genes.

Overview of Dwarfism

Also known as dwarfism, it refers to a child whose height is 30% shorter than that of a normal child, which can be caused by many reasons.

Common causes of dwarfism in children

1. Diseases of the skeletal system such as osteomalacia and vitamin D-resistant rickets.

2. Chromosomal abnormalities such as congenital idiocy (trisomy 21), cat cry syndrome (5-breast deletion) and congenital ovarian dysplasia.

3. Congenital enzyme metabolic defects such as mucopolysaccharidosis and glycogen storage disease.

4. Endocrine disorders such as pituitary dwarfism and hypothyroidism (cretinism).

5. Kidney diseases such as renal tubular acidosis and Fanconi syndrome.

6. Familial dwarfism and primary agenesis, constitutional growth retardation or delayed puberty.

7. Long-term use of large doses of adrenal cortical hormones. Chondrodystrophy: It is a chromosomal dominant inheritance, mainly the formation of chondrocytes in the epiphyseal ends of long bones is impaired, which affects the length of bones, making them thicker instead of growing. Children have short limbs but long trunk, so the length of the upper body is longer than the lower body. Hands do not hang above the hip joints, fingers are short and thick, each finger is even, the nose bridge is low, the head circumference is large, the forehead is protruding, the abdomen is protruding, the lumbar lordosis, the buttocks kyphosis is obvious, and the intelligence is normal. X-ray examination of long bones showed that the long bones were short, with increased curvature and bulging at both ends.

Congenital idiocy

: Also known as Down syndrome, it is caused by autosomal abnormalities. The affected children are often short, with special facial features and intellectual disability. The children have low nose bridge, wide-set eyes, eyes that turn outward and upward, half-open mouths with tongues often sticking out of the mouths, continuous lines on the palms, short little fingers that bend inwards, and sometimes congenital heart disease. Chromosome analysis can confirm the diagnosis.

Mucopolysaccharidosis

：It is caused by congenital mucopolysaccharide metabolism disorder, which causes excessive mucopolysaccharide to be stored in the cells of various tissues in the body. Normal at birth. Symptoms begin to appear between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. The children are short in stature, have progressive mental retardation, thick skin, dry hair, wide-set eyes, a sunken nose, a large tongue, often accompanied by hearing impairment, enlarged liver and spleen, a large and square head, and thick and short fingers. X-ray examination showed excessive ossification of bones throughout the body, enlarged sella turcica, premature closure of cranial sutures, and narrow proximal ends of the ribs and wide distal ends, shaped like a ribbon. The children's urine has increased mucopolysaccharides.