Gerodermia osteodysplastica is characterized by symptoms and features which affect the connective tissues, skin and skeletal system.

These are: wrinkly, loose skin over the face, abdomen, and extremites (hands, feet) on the dorsal sides usually worsened by chronic joint laxity and hyperextensibility; fragmented elastic fibers of the skin that are reduced in number, with disorientation of collagen fibers; osteopenia and osteoporosis, with associated fractures; malar hypoplasia (underdeveloped cheek bone), maxillary hypoplasia (underdeveloped upper jaw), mandibular prognathism (protrusion of the lower jaw and chin), bowed long bones, platyspondyly (flattened spine) related to vertebral collapse; kyphoscoliosis (scoliosis with kyphosis, or "hunch back"), metaphyseal peg (an unusual outgrowth of metaphyseal tissue which protrudes into the epiphyseal region of the bone, near the knee); and the overall physical effects and facial appearance of dwarfism with premature aging.

Other features and findings include: intrauterine growth retardation, congenital hip dislocations, winged scapulae (shoulder blades), pes planus (fallen arches), pseudoepiphyses of the second metacarpals (upper bone of the fingers), hypotelorism (close-set eyes), malformed ears,

developmental delay,

failure to thrive and abnormal electroencephalograph (EEG) readings.

Dental and orthodontal abnormalities in addition to maxillary hypoplasia and mandibular prognathism have also been observed in gerodermia osteodysplastica. Including malocclusion of the dental arches (the maxilla and mandible), radiological findings in some cases have indicated significant overgrowth of the mandibular premolar and molar roots;

hypercementosis (overproduction of cementum) of the molars and maxillary incisors; enlarged, funnel-shaped mandibular lingula (spiny structures on the ramus of the mandible); and a radiolucent effect on portions of many teeth, increasing their transparency to x-rays.

It causes facial abnormalities, skeletal malformation and occasionally neural tube defects; the skeletal disfigurements resolve to a degree in the course of development.

Mutations in different parts of the gene may lead to deafness or Stickler syndrome type III (eye problems: myopia, retinal detachment and skeletal abnormalities).

Infants and children: Infants that are born with Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome usually have short bones in their arms and legs. The thigh and upper arm bones are wider than usual resulting in a dumbbell-shape while the bones of the vertebrae may be abnormal. Typical abnormal facial features can be wide-set protruding eyes (hypertelorism), a small and upturned nose with a flat bridge, small jaw (micrognathia) and a cleft palate. Some infants have high-frequency hearing loss. Infants may also exhibit a psychomotor delay. After the period of growth deficiency the individual makes improvements in bone growth leading to a normal physical development around age 5 or 6.

Adults: Many with Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome have a catch-up growth phase causing the adults to not be unusually short. Many adults still will have hearing loss and typical abnormal facial features of Weissenbacher-Zweymüller syndrome.

The following signs are associated with the disease

- Abnormal heart development

- Abnormal skeletal development

- Hypermobile joints

- Large fingers

- Knock-knees

- Widely spaced teeth

- Bell-shaped chest (flared ribs)

- Compression of spinal cord

- Enlarged heart

- Dwarfism

- Heart murmur

- below average height for certain age

Patients with Morquio syndrome appear healthy at birth. They often present with spinal deformity, and there is growth retardation and possibly genu valgum in the second or third year of life. A patient with Morquio's syndrome is likely to die at an early age. Symptoms of the disease may include:

- Short stature and short neck (caused by flat vertebrae)

- Moderate kyphosis or scoliosis

- Mild pectus carinatum ("pigeon chest")

- Cervical spine: odontoid hypoplasia, atlanto-axial instability; may be associated with myelopathy with gradual loss of walking ability

- Joint laxity, mild dysostosis multiplex, dysplastic hips, large unstable knees, large elbows and wrists, and flat feet

- The combined abnormalities usually result in a duck-waddling gait

- Mid-face hypoplasia and mandibular protrusion

- Thin tooth enamel

- Corneal clouding

- Mild hepatosplenomegaly

Regarding the life span of people with Morquio, some can die as early as 2 or 3 years old, and some can live up to 60 or 70 years old. The oldest known person with Morquio syndrome type IV A was Kenneth D. Martin, who was born in Osage City, Kansas, USA and was 81 years old at the time of his death

Gerodermia osteodysplastica (GO), also called geroderma osteodysplasticum and Walt Disney dwarfism, is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder included in the spectrum of cutis laxa syndromes.

Usage of the name "Walt Disney dwarfism" is attributed to the first known case of the disorder, documented in a 1950 journal report, in which the authors described five affected members from a Swiss family as having the physical appearance of dwarves from a Walt Disney film.

The terms "geroderma" or "gerodermia" can be used interchangeably with "osteodysplastica" or "osteodysplasticum", with the term "hereditaria" sometimes appearing at the end.

Hajdu–Cheney syndrome causes many issues with an individual’s connective tissues. Some general characteristics of an individual with Hajdu–Cheney syndrome include bone flexibility and deformities, short stature, delayed acquisition of speech and motor skills, dolichocephalic skull, Wormian bone, small maxilla, hypoplastic frontal sinuses, basilar impression, joint laxity, bulbous finger tips, and severe osteoporosis. Wormian bone occurs when extra bones appear between cranial sutures. Fetuses with Hajdu–Cheney syndrome often will not be seen to unclench their hands on obstetrical ultrasound. They may also have low-set ears and their eyes may be farther apart than on a usual child, called hypertelorism. Children's heads can have some deformities in their shape and size (plagiocephaly). Early tooth loss and bone deformities, such as serpentine tibiae and fibulae, are also common in those affected.

Cartilage–hair hypoplasia (CHH), also known as McKusick type metaphyseal chondrodysplasia, is a rare genetic disorder. It is a highly pleiotropic disorder that clinically manifests by form of short-limbed dwarfism due to skeletal dysplasia, variable level of immunodeficiency and predisposition to malignancies in some cases. It was first reported in 1965 by McKusick et al. Actor Verne Troyer is affected with this form of dwarfism, as was actor Billy Barty, who was renowned for saying "The name of my condition is Cartilage Hair Syndrome Hypoplasia, but you can just call me Billy."

One of the most prominent and visible symptoms of Nevo Syndrome is the prenatal overgrowth, which continues into the infant and toddler stage. This excessive weight gain can be attributed to the low concentrations of growth hormone and insulin growth factor that are normally present to regulate weight gain. Other common symptoms associated with Nevo Syndrome are the outward wrist-drop, edema in hands and feet, undescended testes, low-set ears, hypotonia, the presence of low muscle tone in children, and long tapered fingers, and a highly arched palate.

Schmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia is a type of chondrodysplasia associated with a deficiency of collagen, type X, alpha 1.

Unlike other "rickets syndromes", affected individuals have normal serum calcium, phosphorus, and urinary amino acid levels. Long bones are short and curved, with widened growth plates and metaphyses.

It is named for the German researcher F. Schmid, who characterized it in 1949.

Conradi–Hünermann syndrome is a form of chondrodysplasia punctata, a group of rare genetic disorders of skeletal development involving abnormal accumulations of calcium salts within the growing ends of long bones. Conradi–Hünermann syndrome is commonly associated with mild to moderate growth deficiency, disproportionate shortening of long bones, particularly those of the upper arms and the thigh bones, short stature, and/or curvature of the spine. In rare cases, intellectual disability may also be present. While evidence suggests that Conradi–Hünermann syndrome predominantly occurs in females and is usually inherited as an X-linked dominant trait, rare cases in which males were affected have also been reported.

The genetics of Conradi–Hünermann syndrome has perplexed medical geneticists, pediatricians and dermatologists for some time, but a number of perplexing features of the genetics of the syndrome have now been resolved, including the fact that the disease is caused by mutations in a gene, and these mutations are simple substitutions, deletions or insertions and are therefore not "unstable". Scientists are still trying to understand exactly where the mutation occurs so that they can correct it.

Bruck syndrome is characterized as the combination of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita and osteogenesis imperfecta. Both diseases are uncommon, but concurrence is extremely rare which makes Bruck syndrome very difficult to research. Bruck syndrome is thought to be an atypical variant of osteogenesis imperfecta most resembling type III, if not its own disease. Multiple gene mutations associated with osteogenesis imperfecta are not seen in Bruck syndrome. Many affected individuals are within the same family, and pedigree data supports that the disease is acquired through autosomal recessive inheritance. Bruck syndrome has features of congenital contractures, bone fragility, recurring bone fractures, flexion joint and limb deformities, pterygia, short body height, and progressive kyphoscoliosis. Individuals encounter restricted mobility and pulmonary function. A reduction in bone mineral content and larger hydroxyapatite crystals are also detectable Joint contractures are primarily bilateral and symmetrical, and most prone to ankles. Bruck syndrome has no effect on intelligence, vision, or hearing.

Weissenbacher–Zweymuller syndrome (WZS), also called Pierre-Robin syndrome with fetal chondrodysplasia, is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder, linked to mutations (955 gly -> glu) in the "COL11A2" gene (located on chromosomal position 6p21.3), which codes for the α strand of collagen type XI. It is a collagenopathy, types II and XI disorder.

Conradi–Hünermann syndrome (also known as "Conradi–Hünermann–Happle syndrome", "Happle syndrome," and "X-linked dominant chondrodysplasia punctata") is a type of chondrodysplasia punctata. It is associated with the gene EBP (gene) and affects between one in 100,000 and one in 200,000 babies.

In terms of the signs/symptoms of rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctate one finds the following to be consistent with such a condition:

- Bilateral shortening of the femur

- Post-natal growth problems (deficiency)

- Cataracts

- Intellectual disability is present

- Possible seizures

- Possible infections of respiratory tract

Chondrodysplasia punctata is a clinically and genetically diverse group of rare diseases, first described by Erich Conradi (1882–1968), that share the features of stippled epiphyses and skeletal changes.

Types include:

- Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata , ,

- X-linked recessive chondrodysplasia punctata

- Conradi-Hünermann syndrome

- Autosomal dominant chondrodysplasia punctata

Being an extremely rare autosomal genetic disorder, differential diagnosis has only led to several cases since 1972. Initial diagnosis lends itself to facial abnormalities including sloping forehead, maxillary hypoplasia, nasal bridge depression, wide mouth, dental maloclusion, and receding chin. Electroencephalography (EEG), computed tomography (CT) scanning, and skeletal survey are further required for confident diagnosis. Commonly, diffuse cartilage calcification and brachytelephalangism are identified by X-radiation (X-ray), while peripheral pulmonary arterial stenosis, hearing loss, dysmorphic facies, and mental retardation are confirmed with confidence by the aforementioned diagnostic techniques.

The facial appearance of individuals with this syndrome include long eyelids with turning up of the lateral third of the lower eyelid, a broad and depressed nasal tip, large prominent earlobes, and a cleft or high-arched palate.

Other clinical features often include scoliosis, short fifth finger, persistence of fingerpads, and X-ray abnormalities of the vertebrae, hands, and hip joints.

There is a wide range of congenital problems associated with kabuki syndrome with large differences between affected individuals. Some of the common problems are heart defects, urinary tract anomalies, hearing loss, hypotonia, recurrent ear infections and postnatal growth deficiency. Other characteristics include skeletal abnormality, joint laxity, short stature, and unusual dermatoglyphic patterns.

In terms of development, mild to moderate intellectual disability is a common feature. Also, children with kabuki syndrome often have distinctive behavioral features. A few have normal intelligence, most of whom have learning difficulties such as struggling with fine motor, speech skills, and memory.

There is no indication that the life expectancy of individuals with kabuki syndrome is shortened. Most medical issues are resolved with medical intervention. The fact that there are relatively few adults known with this syndrome is probably related to its recent discovery in 1980 in Japan and around 1990 in Europe and America.

Chondrodysplasia Blomstrand (also known as Blomstrand's lethal chondrodysplasia) is a rare disorder caused by mutation of the parathyroid hormone receptor resulting in the absence of a functioning PTHR1. It results in ossification of the endocrine system and intermembraneous tissues and advanced skeletal maturation

Morquio syndrome (referred to as mucopolysaccharidosis IV, MPS IV, Morquio-Brailsford syndrome, or Morquio) is a rare metabolic disorder in which the body cannot process certain types of mucopolysaccharides. This birth defect, which is autosomal recessive, is thus a lysosomal storage disorder that is usually inherited. In the US, the incidence rate for Morquio is estimated at between 1 in 200,000 and 1 in 300,000 live births.

The build-up or elimination of mucopolysaccharides, rather than processing by their usual biochemical pathways, causes various symptoms. These involve accumulation of keratan sulfate.

Nevo Syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that usually begins during the later stages of pregnancy. Nevo Syndrome is caused by a NSD1 deletion, which encodes for methyltransferase involved with chromatin regulation. The exact mechanism as to how the chromatin is changed is unknown and still being studied. Nevo Syndrome is an example of one of about twelve overgrowth syndromes known today. Overgrowth syndromes are characterized with children experiencing a significant overgrowth during pregnancy and also excessive postnatal growth. Studies concerning Nevo Syndrome have shown a similar relation to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. Nevo Syndrome is associated with kyphosis, an abnormal increased forward rounding of the spine, joint laxity, postpartum overgrowth, a highly arched palate, undescended testes in males, low-set ears, increased head circumference, among other symptoms.

Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata is a rare, developmental brain disorder characterized by systemic shortening of the proximal bones (i.e. rhizomelia), seizures, recurrent respiratory tract infections, and congenital cataracts. The affected individuals have low levels of plasmalogens.

"Maffucci syndrome" is a sporadic disease characterized by the presence of multiple enchondromas associated with multiple simple or cavernous soft tissue hemangiomas. Also lymphangiomas may be apparent.

Patients are normal at birth and the syndrome manifests during childhood and puberty. The enchondromas affect the extremities and their distribution is asymmetrical.

"Langer-Giedion syndrome" is a very rare genetic disorder caused by a deletion of chromosomal material. Diagnosis is usually made at birth or in early childhood.

The features associated with this condition include mild to moderate learning difficulties, short stature, unique facial features, small head and skeletal abnormalities including bony growths projecting from the surfaces of bones.

This condition occurs almost exclusively in males. The mutation may be spontaneous or inherited from the mother. The typical clinical features are:

- flat nasal tip

- short columella

- maxillary hypoplasia

- involvement of terminal phalanges

- stippled chondrodystrophy

Hajdu–Cheney syndrome, also called acroosteolysis with osteoporosis and changes in skull and mandible, arthrodentoosteodysplasia, and Cheney syndrome, is an extremely rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder of the connective tissue characterized by severe and excessive bone resorption leading to osteoporosis and a wide range of other possible symptoms. Mutations in the "NOTCH2" gene, identified in 2011, cause HCS. HCS is so rare that only about 70 cases have been reported worldwide, since the discovery of the syndrome in 1948.