National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Kniest dysplasia



Kniest dysplasia is a disorder of bone growth characterized by short stature (dwarfism) with other skeletal abnormalities and problems with vision and hearing. It is one of a spectrum of skeletal disorders caused by mutations in the COL2A1 gene. This condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. Most cases result from new mutations in the gene and occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family.[1]
Last updated: 5/20/2013

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Depressed nasal bridge
Depressed bridge of nose
Flat bridge of nose
Flat nasal bridge
Flat, nasal bridge
Flattened nasal bridge
Low nasal bridge
Low nasal root
[ more ]
0005280
Disproportionate short-trunk short stature
Disproportionate short-trunked dwarfism
Disproportionate short-trunked short stature
Short-trunked dwarfism
[ more ]
0003521
Dumbbell-shaped long bone 0000947
Enlarged thorax
Wide rib cage
0100625
Flared metaphysis
Flared wide portion of long bone
0003015
Flattened, squared-off epiphyses of tubular bones
Flattened, squared-off end part of tubular bones
0006172
Hyperlordosis
Prominent swayback
0003307
Hypoplastic pelvis 0008839
Joint stiffness
Stiff joint
Stiff joints
[ more ]
0001387
Kyphosis
Hunched back
Round back
[ more ]
0002808
Micromelia
Smaller or shorter than typical limbs
0002983
Midface retrusion
Decreased size of midface
Midface deficiency
Underdevelopment of midface
[ more ]
0011800
Myopia
Close sighted
Near sighted
Near sightedness
Nearsightedness
[ more ]
0000545
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative joint disease
0002758
Platyspondyly
Flattened vertebrae
0000926
Retinopathy
Noninflammatory retina disease
0000488
Rhizomelia
Disproportionately short upper portion of limb
0008905
Scoliosis 0002650
Short thorax
Shorter than typical length between neck and abdomen
0010306
Skeletal dysplasia 0002652
Vitreoretinopathy 0007773
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Cleft palate
Cleft roof of mouth
0000175
Coxa vara 0002812
Hearing impairment
Deafness
Hearing defect
[ more ]
0000365
Hip dislocation
Dislocated hips
Dislocation of hip
[ more ]
0002827
Proptosis
Bulging eye
Eyeballs bulging out
Prominent eyes
Prominent globes
Protruding eyes
[ more ]
0000520
Retinal detachment
Detached retina
0000541
Round face
Circular face
Round facial appearance
Round facial shape
[ more ]
0000311
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Cataract
Clouding of the lens of the eye
Cloudy lens
[ more ]
0000518
Ectopia lentis 0001083
Glaucoma 0000501
Glossoptosis
Retraction of the tongue
0000162
Micrognathia
Little lower jaw
Small jaw
Small lower jaw
[ more ]
0000347
Ptosis
Drooping upper eyelid
0000508
Respiratory distress
Breathing difficulties
Difficulty breathing
[ more ]
0002098
Tracheal stenosis
Narrowing of windpipe
0002777
Tracheomalacia
Floppy windpipe
0002779
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormal cartilage collagen 0008271
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Conductive hearing impairment
Conductive deafness
Conductive hearing loss
[ more ]
0000405
Coronal cleft vertebrae 0003417
Delayed epiphyseal ossification 0002663
Enlarged joints 0003037
Gait disturbance
Abnormal gait
Abnormal walk
Impaired gait
[ more ]
0001288
Hip contracture 0003273
Inguinal hernia 0000023
Lumbar kyphoscoliosis 0004619
Malar flattening
Zygomatic flattening
0000272
Motor delay 0001270
Recurrent otitis media
Recurrent middle ear infection
0000403
Short neck
Decreased length of neck
0000470
Splayed epiphyses
Splayed end part of bone
0200003
Umbilical hernia 0001537
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Forms of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia and metatropic dysplasia (see these terms) constitute the principle differential diagnoses. In young patients, clinical and radiological features overlap with those of OSMED (see this term), but in the latter myopia is absent.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Kniest dysplasia. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Kniest dysplasia. Genetics Home Reference (GHR). 2008; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/kniest-dysplasia. Accessed 5/20/2013.