Distinction between "Short stature (finding)" and "Short stature disorder (disorder)"?

SNOMED Groups Translation User Group
1

Hi!

In the international 2025-10-01 edition, the concept 277266007 |Short stature (finding)| has been reactivated (inactive since January 2004). The hierarchy now looks like this:

  • 248327008 |General finding of height (finding)|
    • 1363478003 |Body height below reference range (finding)|
      • 277266007 |Short stature (finding)|
        • 237836003 |Short stature disorder (disorder)|

The concept “Short stature disorder (disorder)” was translated as “kortvoksthet”, which just means “short stature”. We’re happy to now have a finding concept, as short stature is not regarded as a disorder in itself. “Kortvoksthet” will then correspond to “Short stature (finding)” and not “Short stature disorder (disorder)”.

We believe a few other NRCs will need to make similar changes. Have you looked at it, and if so, what have you decided?

We’re contemplating “patologisk kortvoksthet”, literally “pathological short stature”. It’s not a commonly used term in Norwegian, but it’s clear and concise. I see the Spanish edition has “trastorno con baja estatura”, which I guess translates literally to “disorder with short stature”. Something like that could also be a viable option for us.

Vegard

2 Likes
Proposal to move 129453003 |Deficiency of (attribute)| from unapproved to approved
2

Hi Vegard,

Thanks for raising this! I have just discussed this with the Dutch translation team and we have agreed to translate the finding concept as ‘short statute’. The disorder ‘short stature’ concept we decided upon the translation ‘disorder with short stature’, based on its child concepts that contain a lot of disorders with, but not necessarily only, short stature as a symptom.

3

We’re following the same approach for these concepts in Belgian French (and the Netherlands’ approach for Belgian Dutch). affection caractérisée par une petite taille is the term for the disorder.

There are other such cases, including 48188009 |Azoospermia (finding)| vs. 425558002 |Azoospermia disorder (disorder)| (the word disorder was added after a CRS ticket we filed). However, we still don’t agree there’s a need for the disorder concept in this case, since the literature defines azoospermia as absence of sperm, and the distinction is irrelevant for clinicians, so there is a risk of clinicians using both concepts interchangeably.