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 25,000 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.

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Dwarfism is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Scientists Identify Gene Behind Pygmies' Short Stature

It also may be that small size reduced their food requirements, and helped in hot climate

By Robert Preidt

Thursday, April 26, 2012

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THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have identified genes linked to the small stature of Western African Pygmies in Cameroon.
A large number of previous studies have pinpointed nearly 180 genes that influence height differences in European populations, but this is the first genome-wide study of genes that affect height in African pygmies.
On average, pygmy men are about 4 feet 11 inches. It hasn't been clear why pygmies are so short, and scientists have suggested a number of theories based on natural selection. For example, pygmies' small size reduced their nutritional needs, helped them better handle hot climates or enabled them to reach sexual maturity at an earlier age.
Along with identifying genes that may be responsible for pygmies' small size, this study, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, also suggests that hormonal pathways and immune system regulation may have been the evolutionary drivers of pygmies' short stature.
The study appears April 26 in the journal PLoS Genetics.
"There's been a longstanding debate about why pygmies are so short and whether it is an adaptation to living in a tropical environment," senior author Sarah Tishkoff, a professor in the genetics and biology departments at Penn, said in a university news release. "I think our findings are telling us that the genetic basis of complex traits like height may be very different in globally diverse populations."

SOURCE: University of Pennsylvania, news release, April 26, 2012

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