C-section delivery does not decrease at-birth fracture rates in infants with rare bone disease

Caesarean delivery was not associated with decrease in the at-birth fracture rates in infants with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare bone disorder, said a consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine.

The new research is the first study to come from the Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium, a new National Institutes of Health collaborative clinical research network focused on brittle bone disorders such as osteogenesis imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a connective tissue disorder that affects approximately 1 in 15,000 people. The major clinical feature of the disorder is increased fragility of bone, which leads to recurrent fractures and bone deformities. In the severe forms of the disorder, fractures occur in utero. With increased availability of prenatal ultrasound examination and genetic testing, many are diagnosed before birth.