Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Skeletal dysplasia

HP:0002652

What it means

A general term describing features characterized by abnormal development of bones and connective tissues.

The word skeletal dysplasia is most often used to describe a group of over 380 inherited conditions that involve abnormal development of bones and connective tissues. However, the word can also be used to describe the presence of congenital defects of bones or connective tissues that are found in one or more of the diseases, especially on prenatal ultrasound, i.e., a situation in which it is often not yet possible to make an exact etiological diagnosis. This is the sense of the phrase we use in the HPO. It is, however, preferable to annotate the observed abnormalities.

Rare diseases that can present with this83

Very common80–99%

51

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Abnormal skeletal development

Skeletal dysplasia

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.