Overcoming the Odds of Prenatal Hypophosphatasia

In an examination room, an ultrasound technician moves a wand over a patient’s belly. The patient is 20 weeks pregnant. Usually, these appointments bring good news, but the news this day is devastating: the baby’s bones are broken and bowed. Despite this, the baby is born and does well. After testing, all signs point to hypophosphatasia for Dr. Eric Rush, a clinical geneticist at Children’s Mercy Hospital and the University of Kansas Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who shares this patient’s story. And thanks to the life-changing treatment of enzyme replacement therapy, today, this child and many others with this rare bone disease are living happy, healthy lives.