Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Psychogenic dwarfism history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
The symptoms include decreased growth hormone (GH) secretion, very short stature, weight that is inappropriate for the height, and immature skeletal age. This disease is a progressive one, and as long as the child is left in the stressing environment, his or her cognitive abilities continue to degenerate. It is often seen in feral children and in children kept in abusive, confined conditions for extended lengths of time. It can cause the body to completely stop growing but is generally considered to be temporary; regular growth will resume when the source of stress is removed.
Symptoms of psychogenic dwarfism vary greatly. Because these disorders affect overall growth, many of them result in poor development in one or more body systems.
- Short stature: Short arms and legs, with particularly short upper arms and upper legs. short fingers, often with a wide separation between the middle and ring fingers.
- Weight that is inappropriate for the height
- Immature bone age, an adult height around 4 feet (about 122 centimeters)
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]