Types of Midgets

Achondrogenesis is a group of severe disorders that affect cartilage and bone development. These conditions are characterized by a small body, short limbs, and other skeletal abnormalities.

Achondroplasia, on the other hand, is inherited in a dominant manner. That means a child needs only one copy of the mutated gene to have that form of skeletal dysplasia. There is a 25% chance that a child born to a couple in which both members have achondroplasia will be of normal height.

General Discussion. Summary. Acrodysostosis is a rare genetic disorder characterized by skeletal malformations, growth delays, short stature, and distinctive facial features caused, in part, by underdeveloped (hypoplastic) of certain facial bones, particularly those in the middle portion of the face.

Acromesomelic dysplasia (AMD) is characterized by inhibition of growth of certain long bones (i.e. bones of the forearms and lower legs). As a result, affected individuals exhibit unusually short forearms and lower legs and short stature (short-limbed dwarfism).

Atelosteogenesis type 3 is a disorder that affects the development of bones throughout the body. Affected individuals are born with inward- and upward-turning feet (clubfeet) and dislocations of the hips, knees, and elbows.

Campomelic dysplasia (CMD) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by bowing of the long bones and many other skeletal and extraskeletal features. It is frequently lethal in the neonatal period due to respiratory insufficiency, but the severity of the disease is variable, and some patients survive into adulthood.

Cartilage-hair hypoplasia is a disorder of bone growth characterized by short stature (dwarfism) with other skeletal abnormalities; fine, sparse hair (hypotrichosis); and abnormal immune system function (immune deficiency) that can lead to recurrent infections.

At the other end of the spectrum are severe and painful forms of chondrodysplasia, such as rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP1). This condition stunts growth in babies, causing bone problems, mental disabilities, and cataracts.