What is dwarfism?

A dwarf is an adult of less than 147cm tall. Dwarfism is not a disease, but it makes a person more prone to getting other health problems.

The two main causes of human dwarfism is Hypochondroplasia, also known as Achondroplasia, and growth hormone deficiency. 

• Achondroplasia is a bone growth disorder that results in a normal sized torso but short limbs - disproportionate dwarfism. As the mutation is autosomal dominant, only about 20% of the cases are inherited. One in every 25 000 live births are affected by this disorder. 
• On the other hand, growth hormone deficiency(GHD) as the name suggests, is when the human body produces insufficient growth hormones.There is no single, definite cause of GHD.

If treated well, most people affected by dwarfism lead active lives as long as any other person.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dwarfism.html
http://www.healthline.com/health/achondroplasia#Overview1
http://psyc.jmu.edu/school/documents/GrowthHormoneDeficiency_Dwarfism_.pdf