Just saw Shahrukh Khan's "Zero" trailer and want to know more about dwarfism?
Did you know that dwarfism can be caused by more than 300 distinct medical conditions?
Shah Rukh Khan is playing the role of a dwarf in this movie and its official teaser has been posted where we can see Shah Rukh Khan as a dwarf or a "vertically challenged" person as he has been saying in interviews. t is said that 'vertically challenged' is a politically correct term to use but dwarfism isn't only about the height it is about shortness of the overall proportions body. First, let's take a look at the teaser.
Obviously, this brings to mind the first time we saw a dwarf in popular cinema: Kamal Hasan in the movie 'Apu Raja'. In our country, dwarfism is still stigmatised and the people with dwarfism are often made fun of. The worst thing is that many people don't even know much about dwarfism. Our ignorance is what leads to the inappropriate remarks and to help you understand this condition, here are some facts about dwarfism that you should know.
What is dwarfism?
Dwarfism is a medical condition which causes an individual to have shorter height or stature because of slow growth. Regardless of sex, dwarfism is the shortness in height and slow overall body growth among organisms. There are two major types of dwarfism. One is disproportionate dwarfism which is characterized by either short limbs or a short torso. Then there is proportionate dwarfism in which the limbs and torso, both are unusually small. From the teaser, it appears as though the character played by SRK has proportionate dwarfism.
A few facts about dwarfism:
1. Dwarfism can be caused by more than 300 distinct medical conditions, therefore, the symptoms and characteristics of individuals with dwarfism vary greatly.
2. Bone growth disorders can still be sometimes treated through surgery but there is no 'treatment' for dwarfism.
3. Studies show that people suffering from dwarfism face more social and sociological hurdles than medical ones. Height discrimination can impact the childhood adversely and cause mental distress in adulthood.
4. Dwarfism isn't only restricted to humans and it can even occur in animals like horses, etc.
5. There is something called as disproportionate dwarfism which is characterized by one or more body parts being unusually large or small in comparison to the rest of the body. It occurs in animals too.
6. The major myth that surrounds dwarfism is that a person with dwarfism may not be able to produce children of average height which is wrong. A person with dwarfism can produce average height kids if the cause of their dwarfism is not genetically transmissible.
7. Dwarfism isn't restricted to any particular group of people and can occur in all races and ethnicities. And, yes, even 'average-sized' parents can give birth to a person with dwarfism.
8. People of short stature may live a long and prosperous life and can do most things like other people.
References:
Melvin, K. E., Wright, A. D., Hartog, M., Antcliff, A. C., Copestake, A. M., & Fraser, T. R. (1967). Acute metabolic response to human growth hormone in different types of dwarfism. British medical journal, 3(5559), 196.
Laederich, M. B., & Horton, W. A. (2010). Achondroplasia: pathogenesis and implications for future treatment. Current opinion in pediatrics, 22(4), 516-523.
Pauli RM. Achondroplasia. 1998 Oct 12 [Updated 2012 Feb 16]. In: Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, et al., editors. GeneReviews [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2017.
1: Adam A, Josefsberg Z, Pertzelan A, Zadik Z, Chemke JM, Laron Z. Occurrence of four types of growth hormone-related dwarfism in Israeli communities. Eur J Pediatr. 1981 Sep;137(1):35-9. PubMed PMID: 7274298.
