Posted by For my project I chose Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). My image is a (poor) drawing of what a healthy bone with
Brittle Bone Disease
For my project I chose Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). My image is a (poor) drawing of what a healthy bone with
Though the author did not identify her objective, I would guess that her STEAM project is based on the objective: Know the parts of the bone and their shape. I assume this because the disease illustrated in the drawing above, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (aka Brittle Bone disease) has to do with a defective form of collagen, which is a vital component of bone. This drawing is a comparison between the structure of healthy bone and bone that is affected by OI. In OI the gene for producing the protein collagen is defective. Because collagen is vital for bone structure and integrity, individuals with this disease have bones that break easily and are prone to healing or growing incorrectly. Besides the effects of this disease on the bones themselves, deformities of the bones from OI can lead to things like breathing problems and lung damage. Although OI is a lifelong and incurable disease, some treatment is available in the forms of medication, braces, surgically set metal rods, and physical therapy.