Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Imagine the scenario: you and your family are at the hospital and have just welcomed a newborn into your lives. It is one of the most exhilarating experiences conceivable. Only there is a problem – the delivering nurses and doctors notice that something is wrong with your child, and the infant is whisked away before you have time to even process what is going on.

You wait anxiously for minutes and hours while examinations are being done and x-rays made. Finally, the doctor reports the horrifying news: your newborn has suffered several major bone fractures during delivery, and is showing signs of further complications. You and your loved ones are stunned. There did not seem to be anything abnormal or traumatic about the birth. How could this have happened? Was it something the doctors did or did not do? Was it something you did or did not do?

The answer, quite probably, is no. Your child may suffer from a condition known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, commonly referred to as brittle bone disease. Due to a deficiency in collagen – a vital component of the skeletal system found in other areas such as the ligaments, eye, and teeth – Osteogenesis Imperfecta (literally, “imperfect bone creation”) is usually the result of an unforeseeable genetic mutation, but it can also be passed down from parent to child.

This disease takes a number of forms, and is typically classified in terms of severity between Types I and VIII. Sadly, there is no known cure for this condition, although surgical treatments and various methods of physical therapy have been shown to aid afflicted individuals, depending on the severity of the case.

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If you or someone you love has been affected by a child’s birth injury and you want to learn more about what may have been behind it, contact the experienced Philadelphia birth injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. today by calling 215-238-1130.