hip fracture
A four-year-old girl in India has sustained 31 fractures since her birth due to a rare condition. Wikimedia Commons

A four-year-old girl in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand suffers with a rare condition; she gets a fracture every time she sneezes.

Even a cough or running into someone makes her bones break.

The girl named Zainab Iqbal is suffering from the rare disease called Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) which has caused her 31 fractures since birth, according to a report by local Hindi daily Amarujala.

The report said that Zainab's 38-year-old father has the same condition and that he has sustained 111 fractures to date.

Osteogenesis imperfect is a hereditary disease caused by gene mutation. It is also known as brittle bone disease.

According to the US National Institute of Health (NIH), OI can also cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, and hearing loss. About 0.1% of population around the world suffers with the rare disease.

Zainab's parents have struggled to get their daughter treated several times.

"We took Zainab to various doctors in India as well as in America. A team of experts tried to treat her but they failed to cure her, her mother Rafat Jahan told the paper.

According to NIH, there is no cure for OI.

Physical therapy, including very low impact exercise like swimming and water therapy, along with a healthy diet can help OI sufferers.