Welcome back and thanks for joining us. We’ve been talking about brittle bone disease and how it’s been the cause of so many falsely accused parents here in Michigan. As we pointed out before, in the previous article, most cases of brittle bone disease happen when worried parents take their crying babies to hospital to find out what’s wrong, only to have the doctor discover a fracture (or several) and call CPS to report the infant’s abusive parents. So what now?

What happens when the doctor finds signs of “abuse”?

In most cases, when a baby is being abused, the signs are pretty straightforward. There will be multiple fractures at different stages of healing, and the parent’s stories won’t line up with the physical evidence. Which makes sense. Until you throw brittle bone disease into the mix. Why? Because the symptoms of ‘osteogenesis imperfecta’ (as your doctor is likely to call it) look exactly the same as the symptoms of child abuse!

Most pediatricians are trained to spot it!

Most pediatricians, who specialize in children’s medicine, are trained to look for signs of rare medical conditions and disorders. But the truth is that they see so many patients every day, and most doctors tend to take the stand that the most obvious explanation is usually the right one. So when they see a baby with multiple fractures at different stages of healing, the simplest solution is to assume it’s abuse and hand the case off to CPS. Testing for the many rare medical conditions that may have caused those fractures is expensive and time consuming. Calling CPS is quick and free. You figure it out…

What if it’s not brittle bone disease?

Brittle bone disease is certainly not the only rare medical condition that could land you and your baby in this terrible situation. There are several conditions and ailments that can cause unexplained injuries in babies. Here are a few others that you need to be aware of as well:

• Osteopenia,
• Wormian Bones,
• Temporary Brittle Bone Disease,
• Rickets
• Vitamin D Deficiency

Some conditions are very hard to detect!

Unfortunately, brittle bone disease isn’t a quick and easy test with obvious answers, making it hard to prove. CPS doctors sometimes order genetic testing to rule out the condition. However, if the results are negative, CPS usually decides the child must have healthy bones, which often isn’t the case! It’s impossible to completely rule out brittle bone disease with only genetic testing. While testing can rule out whether or not a baby suffers from the main symptoms of the condition, it can’t definitively determine if a child has the condition.

What should you do if your baby’s doctor finds unexplained injuries?

Join us next time to look at some of the common mistakes parents make when faced with these allegations, and how you can avoid them! Until then, if you or a loved one have been accused of abusing or neglecting a child, call The Kronzek Firm right now at 866 766 5245. Our skilled CPS defense attorneys have been handling countless unexplained injury situations before, and can help you defend your family and protect your rights!