# Small People & Medical Problems **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298 "2011-02-14T14:19:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/1 "2011-02-14T14:19:52Z")
I have had this question rattling around for a while now, but recently an old high-school friend found me on facebook. B is a small person. I never thought much about it, but he has something like 'Lion Face" and is sufficiently malformed that he could touch his knees while standing straight. Barrel-chested, he also seemed to have a pronounced hump. Like I said, I liked him, never thought much about his physical condition. Anyway he has reported he has been on disability for over ten years. He is fifty-two now, same as me. We also have a small person who works in my office. He seems well-formed, but is quite short. \*\*Do small people have loads of health problems? Are their lifespans shorter than normal-height persons? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/2 "2011-02-14T18:21:23Z")
I think there is a better way to word your question. Since there are several billion people on the planet, there are several billion ideas of what “short” and “small” means. Maybe you meant to say “Is there a general height (for adults) under which a significant number of people (say \>10%) possess some type of developmental problems which lead to major medical issues at some point in their life.” ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/3 "2011-02-14T18:29:26Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Maybe you meant to say “Is there a general height (for adults) under which a significant number of people (say \>10%) possess some type of developmental problems which lead to major medical issues at some point in their life.” IIRC, 1 in 7 are sneezy. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/4 "2011-02-14T18:46:10Z")
[Taller people tend to have shorter lifespans. (PDF).](http://whqlibdoc.who.int/bulletin/1992/Vol70-No2/bulletin_1992_70(2)_259-267.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/5 "2011-02-15T01:46:23Z")
I thought my question was worded poorly too. It seems to me the guy at work is simply small. He looks to be in good health. For all I know his entire family may be short. B, on the other hand, seems to be misformed. Since there are no substantive answers, I will presume the Hive Mind thinks this a foolish or rude question. This being the case, please accept my apology. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/6 "2011-02-15T02:01:12Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > [Taller people tend to have shorter lifespans. (PDF).](http://whqlibdoc.who.int/bulletin/1992/Vol70-No2/bulletin_1992_70(2)_259-267.pdf) [Does that vibe with what the Master has already said on this topic?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2593/do-tall-people-die-younger) ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/7 "2011-02-15T02:19:54Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I thought my question was worded poorly too. It seems to me the guy at work is simply small. He looks to be in good health. For all I know his entire family may be short. B, on the other hand, seems to be misformed. > > Since there are no substantive answers, I will presume the Hive Mind thinks this a foolish or rude question. This being the case, please accept my apology. I think your question is simply too broad. It depends on why the person is small. For instance, see [achondroplasia](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002544). ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-people-medical-problems/571298/8 "2011-02-15T02:22:18Z")
Per the Wikipedia page on [Dwarfism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarfism): “Physical maleffects of malformed bones vary according to the specific disease. Many involve joint pain caused by abnormal bone alignment, or from nerve compression. Early degenerative joint disease, exaggerated lordosis or scoliosis, and constriction of spinal cord or nerve roots can cause pain and disability. Reduced thoracic size can restrict lung growth and reduce pulmonary function. Some forms of dwarfism are associated with disordered function of other organs, such as the brain or liver, sometimes severely enough to be more disabling than the abnormal bone growth.”