Can we have a permanent end to ‘temporary brittle bone disease’?
- 1Neonatal Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK
- 2Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK
- Correspondence to Dr Richard Nicholl, Neonatal Unit, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow, London HA1 3UJ, UK; rnicholl{at}nhs.net
- Accepted 25 March 2012
‘In God we trust; all others must bring data.’ W Edwards Deming (attrib).
We were concerned to see a leading article1 in Archives of Disease in Childhood citing the fictitious2 term ‘temporary brittle bone disease’ (TBBD). Furthermore, we were dismayed to see that Paterson, an advocate of this term,3 has been honoured with a published response in the same.4 The only information in Dr Sprigg's article supporting the view that ‘TBBD has been proposed again as an alternative explanation for suspected non-accidental injury’ is a paper from Paterson in 2009 describing five cases as TBBD.5 On review, these cases were considered due to birth trauma, metabolic bone disease and forceful handling or NASI. It is, therefore, hard to understand why the journal would publish an article that could reopen a debate on TBBD.
We reviewed the primary papers that gave birth to the term ‘TBBD’. A literature review (Pub Med) using the search …
