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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMost dwarfism treatments don't increase stature but may alleviate problems caused by complications.
Common surgical treatments
Surgical procedures that may correct problems with bones in people with disproportionate dwarfism include:
- Inserting metal staples into the ends of long bones where growth occurs (growth plates) in order to correct the direction in which bones are growing
- Dividing a limb bone, straightening it and inserting metal plates to hold it in place
- Inserting rods or staples to help correct the shape of the spine
- Increasing the size of the opening in bones of the spine (vertebrae) to alleviate pressure on the spinal cord
Limb lengthening
Some people with dwarfism elect to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. With this procedure, the surgeon divides a long bone into two or more sections, separates the sections slightly and braces the bone and limb with metal "scaffolding." Pins and screws on this frame are adjusted to keep tension between the sections, enabling the bone to grow back together gradually into a complete but longer bone.
This procedure is controversial for many people with dwarfism because, as with all surgeries, there are risks, and because the "correction" in stature may imply there's something wrong with being short.
Hormone therapy
Growth hormone deficiency is treated with injections of a synthetic version of the hormone. In most cases, children receive daily injections for several years until they reach a maximum adult height — often within the average adult range for one's family. Treatment may continue throughout adolescence and early adulthood to ensure adult maturation, such as appropriate gain in muscle or fat. The treatment may be supplemented with other related hormones if they also are deficient.
Treatment for girls with Turner syndrome also requires estrogen and related hormone therapy in order to begin puberty and achieve adult sexual development. Estrogen replacement therapy usually continues throughout life, until a woman reaches the average age of menopause.
- Dwarfism: Frequently asked questions. Little People of America. http://www.lpaonline.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=44397&orgId=lpa. Accessed June 24, 2007.
- Carter EM, et al. Advances in understanding etiology of achondroplasia and review of management. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2007;19:32.
- Pseudoachondroplasia. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=pseudoachondroplasia. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=spondyloepiphysealdysplasiacongenita. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Diastrophic dysplasia. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=diastrophicdysplasia. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Achondroplasia. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=achondroplasia. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Hypochondroplasia. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=hypochondroplasia. Accessed July 8, 2008.
- Trotter TL, et al. Health supervision for children with achondroplasia. Pediatrics. 2005;116:771.
- Horton WA, et al. Achondroplasia. The Lancet. 2007;370:162.
- Baujat G, et al. Achondroplasia. Best Practice & Research. Clinical Rheumatology. 2008;22:3.
- Hypopituitarism in children resulting in short stature. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec12/ch151/ch151e.html. Accessed July 15, 2009.
- Richmond EJ. Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 13, 2009.
- Turner syndrome. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. http://turners.nichd.nih.gov/clinical.html. Accessed June 28, 2009.
- Turner Syndrome. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=turnersyndrome. Accessed July 8, 2008.
- Rogol AD. Causes of short stature. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Rogol AD. Diagnostic approach to short stature. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- Attanasio AF, et al. Growth hormone and the transition from puberty into adulthood. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2007;36:187.
- Learning about Turner syndrome. National Human Genome Research Institute. http://www.genome.gov/19519119. Accessed June 28, 2009.
