Brittle bone disease
The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Children’s Hospital introduced a new treatment for the children with brittle bone disease. The study of the new treatment is published in The Lancet.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is an inborn disease causing fractures in childhood as well as fractures in adults.
This is a genetic disorder which is caused by abnormalities of genes that control the production of a protein called collagen, which is the main protein in bone and essential for bone strength.
The classic blue sclerae of a baby with osteogenesis imperfecta
This protein collagen makes the bone more fragile and results in OI. Researchers stated that this is the first study to demonstrate the use of the medicine risedronate. This medicine risedronate not only reduce the r
234 × 350 – sciencephoto.comisk of fracture in children with brittle bones but also have rapid action. The curves for fracture begin to diverge after only 6 weeks of treatment.
Nick Bishop, professor of pediatric bone at the University of Sheffield, said: “We wanted to show that the use of risedronate could significantly impact on children’s lives by reducing fracture rates and it did.
“The fact that this medicine can be given by mouth at home (other similar medicines are given by a drip in hospital) makes it family-friendly.”
The study, funded by the Alliance for Better Bone Health, trailed children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta aged 4-15 years showed that oral risedronate reduced the risk of clinical fractures and the drug was well tolerated.