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Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease): the signs, the types, what causes it, getting a diagnosis, treatment, and living with it
For anyone whose bones break easily, from a small bump or for no clear reason; anyone with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in the family; and anyone just told that they or their child have it. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, part of the NIH) says OI is a genetic disease in which bones break easily, often with no obvious cause or a minimal injury, that its symptoms range from mild to severe, and that there is no cure, but treatment can prevent or control symptoms and help people be as independent as possible. This page passes on, by name, what NIAMS says: the signs; the types, the gene and who gets it; the history, the exam and the tests; therapy, medicines by kind, bone care, aids, teeth and hearing; and living with it. It builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
Right now
- A bone may be broken: keep it still, do not try to straighten it, and get care today, and say that the person has OI (ours). See Broken bones.
- A bone showing through the skin, a hurt head, neck or back, or trouble breathing: call 911 (ours). NIAMS names breathing problems among the symptoms of OI.
- Thinking about suicide: call or text 988, any time.
More help
- Bones: Broken bones · Osteoporosis · Scoliosis · Pain, bones and joints.
- Hearing and teeth: Hearing loss · Dental care.
- Day to day: Symptom diary · Medicines list · Living with chronic pain · Anxiety · Quit smoking.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · Disability benefits · Get ready for the appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Pain, a bone or a joint, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for back pain, arthritis, pain that lasts, headaches, broken bones and sickle cell, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or therapist has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 16, 2026 on NIAMS’s Osteogenesis Imperfecta page, both parts: Overview, Symptoms, & Causes and Diagnosis, Treatment, & Steps to Take (NIH, last reviewed November 2022), and on its shorter Spanish twin, Osteogénesis imperfecta (November 2022). Ours: what to do if a bone may be broken (keep it still, do not straighten it, get care today, and say it is OI); calling 911 for a bone showing through the skin, a hurt head, neck or back, or trouble breathing; that many things can break a bone and only a provider can say it is OI; that nobody causes it; telling each provider and emergency room; asking about a genetic counselor before a pregnancy; seeing a provider soon if hearing drops suddenly; not stopping a prescribed medicine on your own; asking a pharmacist about an over-the-counter medicine; writing things down and keeping a wallet note; asking what a test or treatment would change, its risks and what it costs; 988; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any medicine’s name or dose, any treatment NIAMS does not name, any diet, supplement, remedy or product, the full list of features of each rare type, and NIAMS’s research pages. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.