General Information

• Those who have dry-bone disease suffer frequent fractures and/or breaks due to weak bone structures. There are different types of the disease, which affects some 20,000 to 50,000 people in the United States.
  
  

Type I

• Type I is the most common type of dry bone disease, and usually becomes apparent some time before puberty. Symptoms include brittle teeth, a curved spine, small stature and hearing loss in early adulthood.
  
  

Type II

• Type II is a severe form of dry-bone disease, mainly affecting newborns and infants. It often causes death, if not severe deformity in bone structure. Other symptoms include underdevopment of the lungs and chest region as well as extremely small stature.
  
  

Transmission

• Dry-bone disease is a hereditary condition. The severity of the disease may vary from one generation to the next, or among offspring of the same generation.
  
  

Treatment

• While there is no known cure for dry-bone disease, physical and occupational therapies help victims cope with their condition. Depending on the severity of the affliction, surgery, physical therapy exercises and aids for positioning and movement are common aspects of treatment.