Short Stature

Short stature is human height that falls below the typical range, defined medically as adult height more than two standard deviations below the average for a given population's age and sex, placing a person in roughly the shortest 2.3 percent. In children and young adults it usually reflects a slower-than-average rate of growth during childhood, while in older adults it more often results from height loss caused by spinal curvature or osteoporosis-related collapse of the vertebrae. The most common causes in childhood are constitutional growth delay and familial short stature, both considered variations of normal, but it can also result from growth hormone deficiency, thyroid hormone deficiency, malnutrition, chronic disease of other organs, certain medications, or chromosomal conditions such as Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome, or Prader-Willi syndrome. It may affect the whole body proportionately or only specific segments such as the limbs or trunk.