Discrepancies in the Phenotypical Classification of Osteogenesis Imperfecta in a Patient with COL1A2 Mutation: A Case Report

Am J Case Rep. 2023 Dec 27:24:e942239. doi: 10.12659/AJCR.942239.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disease that results from mutations in type 1 collagen (COL1) or its interacting proteins. Such mutations lead to defects in bone structure, causing brittle bones, short stature, hearing loss, and dental problems, among others. The current classification system arranges OI into types according to a clinical phenotype that includes the severity of the disease and a combination of specific features, such as blue sclerae and dental abnormalities. CASE REPORT Here, we present a clinical report of a 3-year-old boy diagnosed with OI in utero who has been followed by our pediatric clinic postnatally. The patient was born with multiple bone fractures, a small head circumference, and blue sclerae and later had a concomitant diagnosis of dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI). Soon after birth, the patient was started on bisphosphonate and calcium/vitamin D treatment. The patient's OI type was inconclusive due to the dramatic difference between perinatal and postnatal phenotypes, the presence of blue sclerae, and the additional diagnosis of DI. The patient experienced only 1 new bone fracture postnatally, had normal anthropometric measurements except for short stature, and was healthy. CONCLUSIONS This clinical case is unique owing to the dramatic perinatal and mild postnatal OI phenotypes. This and the unique combination of postnatal features demonstrate that classical OI typing could be inconclusive in atypical disease presentation. This case may demonstrate a new classification possibility outside the current OI nomenclature. However, the potential beneficial role of pharmacological treatment in the clinical outcome of OI cannot be excluded.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Collagen Type I* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mutation
  • Osteogenesis Imperfecta* / genetics
  • Phenotype

Substances

  • Collagen Type I, alpha2 Subunit
  • Collagen Type I
  • COL1A2 protein, human