Darren's mother is from Cebu in the Philippines, and has Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry. Darren's father is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has English, and some German and Northern Irish, ancestry.
Description. While dwarfism is sometimes used to describe achondroplasia, a condition characterized by short stature and disproportionately short arms and legs, it is also used more broadly to refer to a variety of conditions resulting in unusually short stature in both children and adults.
Pathophysiology. Achondroplasia is caused by mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor-3 (FGFR3) gene. Mutations within FGFR3 are the only genetic changes known to cause achondroplasia. FGFR3 has been mapped to the short arm of chromosome 4, p16.3 (4p16.3).ackground. Achondroplasia, a nonlethal form of chondrodysplasia, is the most common type of short-limb dwarfism. This skeletal dysplasia is inherited as a Mendelian autosomal dominant trait with complete penetrance.