Osteogenesis Imperfecta: One Disease, Two or More Faces: A Case Report

Abstract

Being such a rare condition in paediatrics, osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is not a diagnosis which is made often. It is however, a diagnosis necessitating early diagnosis and timeous and effective management to improve morbidity and increase the quality of life for our patients. We report two cases of osteogenesis imperfecta in this case report to highlight the different phenotypic presentations. Both of these patients are unique in their presentations and each case highlights the importance of a high clinical index of suspicion by the practitioner in making the diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta. The first case is a patient who was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta on day one of life. She had disproportionate short stature, blue sclera, a small chest and bowing of her lower limbs with swellings and tenderness over both of her femurs. A babygram radiograph revealed multiple fractures, with the presence of callus formation at some fracture sites suggesting intrauterine fractures. The second case is a patient who had normal anthropometry and was well at birth. She was subsequently diagnosed at two weeks of age when she presented to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital with an E. coli meningitis and she was suspected to have a right clavicular fracture and possibly rib fractures as she had pain on palpation over these areas. She was noted to have no blue sclera. Subsequent X-rays confirmed a right clavicular fracture as well as left and right rib fractures at different stages of healing. A lateral skull radiograph revealed Wormian bones. With no available genetic testing in South Africa, both diagnoses were made clinically. Both of our patients were started on zoledronic acid at three months of age and were followed up by the Metabolic Unit at the Chis Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. This case report of two patients highlights the characteristics important in diagnosing and treating this uncommon condition with varying phenotypical presentations, thus ensuring that the diagnosis is not missed or misdiagnosed: one disorder, two different faces.