Associated symptoms

A growth disorder is not an independent disease but occurs in the context of a variety of diseases, syndromes, therapies or other circumstances.Which symptoms accompany short or tall growth depends on the cause of the growth disorder:

If a growth disorder occurs as a result of genetic changes such as chromosomal defects (e.g. Down syndrome), the children show a variety of other external abnormalities (e.g. the typical “mongoloid” eye shape, a protruding tongue, small ears) and internal diseases such as heart defects.
In other genetic diseases such as vitreous bone disease, the bones break very easily and the entire skeleton shows specific deformations.
In the case of celiac disease (gluten intolerance), symptoms such as diarrhea or flatulence are also present.
If undergrowth is caused by hypothyroidism, those affected often also suffer from fatigue, constipation, a low heart rate and dry skin.
If there is a reduced secretion of growth hormone, then in addition to reduced growth, the blood sugar level tends to be too low and the fatty tissue mass is reduced.
Excessive production of growth hormone results in a high growth and enlargement of the acra (nose, chin, fingers) and internal organs (e.g. heart, cardiomegaly).

Miniature growth

In the case of small stature, the body length is too short and deviates from the norm. In adults, a height of less than 150cm is called dwarfism. In children, dwarfism is present when the height falls below the third percentile.

Percentiles are growth curves for specific age groups and indicate the normal distribution in the population. Thus, a growth below the third percentile means that only 3% of peers are smaller. It can be difficult to distinguish between dwarfism with disease value and purely constitutional dwarfism (e.g. when both parents are very small but healthy). In general, the causes are distinguished between congenital and acquired factors (see Causes). Furthermore, a proportionate dwarfism, where all body parts are equally distributed too small, is distinguished from a disproportionate dwarfism, where only single body parts like the extremities are too short.