Zhang Qian

zhqcindy@163.com

OSTEOGENESIS imperfecta (OI) patients from all over are welcome to register to join a five-day conference on the disease that is kicking off at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital (HKU-SZH) on Aug. 3, according to a media conference held at the hospital Friday.

People suffering from OI are also known as china-dolls for their brittle bones. The meeting, titled “China-Dolls National Conference for People With OI,” is coming to Shenzhen for the first time.

Held every two years, this national conference is by far the largest gathering of experts, doctors, patients, foundations, government officials and other stakeholders to facilitate free clinics, knowledge promotion and experience-sharing workshops and other activities designed to help people with OI.

A two-day free clinic will be held at the hospital during the first two days of the conference, Aug. 3 and 4. Domestic and international teams of dentists, orthopedists and rehabilitation therapists as well as other OI-related departments will provide free clinics for more than 120 patients. The registration channel has been open since Friday.

The conference will also focus on helping OI patients and their families share their stories with other patients. Communities of patients are expected to be built up through the conference and its activities so that patients and families can share resources.

Additionally, a survey of child patients and families with OI patients will be published during the conference. The survey was conducted jointly by the China -Dolls Center for Rare Diseases, which is also the organizer of the national conference, and Hong Kong Baptist University.

It is estimated that there are 7,000 patients with OI in Guangdong Province alone. The organizer of the conference believes that by holding the free clinics, workshops and knowledge promotion sessions it can help the families as well as the general public in gaining knowledge about the disease in the area.

“It is a great honor for the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital to co-organize the conference, which is going to be held in South China for the first time,” said Professor Lo Chung-mau, president of the hospital.

Since 2014, the hospital has seen more 200 OI patients, hospital officials said.