Children can be short for many different reasons.
Some children are short due to lack of certain hormones, some due to problems with their bones and others due to nutritional or bowel problems. A small number of children are short due to changes in certain genes. Recently, a gene involved in the growth of bones was discovered. Research has found that one copy of this gene may be missing or altered in certain children and adults who are short. In particular, the majority of patients with a condition called Leri-Weill syndrome, in which shortness is accompanied by bowing of certain long bones, are missing one SHOX gene.