Restricted growth is a symptom of many different medical conditions. It is more noticeable in some conditions than others.
Restricted growth is usually categorised as either:
- proportionate short stature (PSS), or
- disproportionate short stature (DSS).
Proportionate short stature
PSS means there is general lack of growth throughout the body. The length of the trunk (abdomen and chest) remains in normal proportion with the legs. Adults rarely reach five feet tall.
The most common cause of PSS is being born to small parents. PSS can also happen when the body does not produce enough growth hormone, or cannot process it properly (see Causes page).
There are approxiomately 12,600 adults with growth hormone deficiency in England and Wales.
In some cases, hormone treatment can be used to treat people with proportionate short stature (see Treatment page).
Disproportionate short stature
DSS occurs when there is a problem with the way joints and bones grow. Certain limbs may be shorter, or there might be a severe lack of general, all-over body growth (see Symptoms page). Adults are usually between 107cm (3ft 6in) and 137cm (4ft 6in) in height.
Conditions associated with DSS are usually caused by genetic mutation (change in the genes). Many children born with DSS will have average-height parents and the genetic mutation will have occurred spontaneously.
Around 30,000 people in the UK have a restricted growth condition causing DSS.
Treatment will depend upon the cause of the short stature and is likely to involve a multidisciplinary approach (seeing many different types of healthcare professionals).
If the legs are particularly short, DSS can be treated with a leg-lengthening procedure (see Treatment page), although there is uncertainty about the safety and effectiveness of this.
