Dwarfism is a condition causing the body to underdevelop during childhood.
Dwarfism may be caused by low blood levels of the growth hormone (GH) during childhood. This leads to a very short height with arms and legs that are in proportion to the rest of the body.
Other causes of dwarfism can lead to very short height with arms and legs that are not in proportion to the rest of the body.
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Last Updated | May 25, 2007 |
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise