Shriners hospitals opens brittle bone disease clinic

Shriners Hospitals for ChildrenSpokane has opened a clinic at its South Hill facility to begin offering treatment for osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease.

The disease is a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause. There are at least four recognized forms of the disorder, and it can range widely in severity, with some victims suffering just a few fractures in a lifetime, while others might have as many as several hundred.

"They can sit down and break a hip. They can move wrong and break an arm," says Maggie Crabtree, the hospital's spokeswoman.

In addition to orthopedic care and physical and occupational therapies, the new clinic is offering brittle bone disease patients intravenous treatment with pamidronate, which has been shown to be "very effective," Dr. Sharon Genung, the hospital's pediatrician, told doctors in the hospital's service area in March. The hospital accepts patients from Eastern Washington, North Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.