A person with short stature, or restricted growth, does not grow as tall as other people of the same gender, age, and ethnicity. The person’s height is below the 3rd percentile. Short stature can be a variant of normal growth, or it may indicate a disorder or condition.

Growth rate is an important indicator of overall health. Children who do not reach the 5th percentile by the age of 5 years are said to be small for gestational age (SGA). A pediatrician will look out for signs of “failure to thrive.” Early intervention can prevent future problems in many cases.

Normally, at 8 years of age, a child’s arm span is around the same as their height. If these measurements are out of proportion, this may be a sign of disproportionate short stature (DSS), sometimes known as "dwarfism".

Facts on Short Stature

Here are some key points about short stature. More detail is in the main article.

• Short stature can happen for a wide range of reasons, including having small parents, malnutrition, and genetic conditions such as achondroplasia.
• Proportionate short stature (PSS) is when the person is small, but all the parts are in the usual proportions. In disproportionate short stature (DSS), the limbs may be small compared with the trunk.
• If short stature results from a growth hormone (GH) deficiency, GH treatment can often boost growth.
• Some people may experience long-term medical complications, but intelligence is not usually affected.

Causes

Growth depends on a complex range of factors, including genetic makeup, nutrition, and hormonal influences. The most common cause of short stature is having parents whose height is below average, but around 5 percent of children with short stature have a medical condition. Conditions that can underlie short stature include:

• undernutrition, due to a disease or lack of nutrients
• hypothyroidism, leading to a lack of growth hormone
• a tumor in the pituitary gland
• diseases of the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, or gastrointestinal tract
• conditions that affect the production of collagen and other proteins
• some chronic diseases, such as celiac disease and other inflammatory disorders
• mitochondrial disease, which can affect the body in different ways, including growth

Treatment

Treatment will depend on the cause of the short stature. If there are signs of malnutrition, the child may need nutritional supplements or treatment for a bowel disorder or other condition that is preventing them from absorbing nutrients. If growth is restricted or delayed because of a hormonal problem, GH treatment may be necessary.