Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Maintenance of Adult Bone Health

For patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), the focus of medical and surgical care has traditionally been on children with this disorder. This is driven in part by parental involvement and in part by the fact that fractures are more frequent in children until they pass puberty. Although fractures may be less of an acute problem, the adult with OI may face problems which are directly related to OI, such as loss of hearing, dental concerns, scoliosis, respiratory insufficiency, bowel dysfunction with chronic constipation and kidney stones. Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint. Added to these are the commonplace medical issues related to aging: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, osteoarthritis, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus. Paramount is concern for maintaining bone mass as the individual ages.