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Osteomalacia
Vitamin D deficiency - osteomalacia; Calcium - osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is softening of the bones. It most often occurs because of a problem with vitamin D , which helps your body absorb calcium. Your body needs calcium to maintain the strength and hardness of your bones.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue.
In children, the condition is called rickets .
Rickets
Rickets is a disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate. It leads to softening and weakening of the bones.
Causes
A lack of the proper amount of calcium leads to weak and soft bones.
Vitamin D is absorbed from food or produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight. Lack of vitamin D produced by the skin may occur in people who:
- Live in climates with little exposure to sunlight
- Must stay indoors
- Work indoors during the daylight hours
- Wear clothes that cover most of their skin
- Have dark skin pigmentation
- Use very strong sunscreen
You may not get enough vitamin D from your diet if you:
- Are lactose intolerant (have trouble digesting milk products)
- Do not eat or drink milk products (more common in older adults)
- Follow a vegetarian diet
- Are not able to absorb vitamin D well in the intestines, such as after gastric bypass surgery
Other conditions that may cause osteomalacia include:
- Cancer
-
Kidney failure
and
acidosis
Kidney failure
Acute kidney failure is the rapid (less than 2 days) loss of your kidneys' ability to remove waste and help balance fluids and electrolytes in your b...
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark ArticleAcidosis
Acidosis is a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids. It is the opposite of alkalosis (a condition in which there is too much ...
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Lack of enough phosphates in the diet
- Liver disease, and therefore cannot convert vitamin D to its active form
-
Side effects of medicines used to treat
seizures
Seizures
A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term "seizure...
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Symptoms
Symptoms include:
- Bone fractures that happen without a real injury
-
Muscle weakness
Muscle weakness
Weakness is reduced strength in one or more muscles.
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Widespread
bone pain
, especially in the hips
Bone pain
Bone pain or tenderness is aching or other discomfort in one or more bones.
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Symptoms may also occur due to low calcium level. These include:
-
Numbness
around the mouth
Numbness
Numbness and tingling are abnormal sensations that can occur anywhere in your body, but they are often felt in your fingers, hands, feet, arms, or le...
ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article - Numbness of the arms and legs
-
Spasms of the hands or feet
Spasms of the hands or feet
Spasms are contractions of the muscles of the hands, thumbs, feet, or toes. Spasms are usually brief, but they can be severe and painful.
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Exams and Tests
Blood tests will be done to check vitamin D, creatinine, calcium, phosphate , electrolytes, alkaline phosphatase, and parathyroid hormone levels.
Phosphate
The phosphorus blood test measures the amount of phosphate in the blood.
Bone x-rays and a bone density test can help detect pseudofractures, bone loss, and bone softening. More importantly, osteomalacia can look like weakening of the bones from osteoporosis on bone density testing.
Bone x-rays
A bone x-ray is an imaging test to look at the bones.
Bone density test
A bone mineral density (BMD) test measures how much calcium and other types of minerals are in an area of your bone. This test helps your health care...
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break (fracture).
In some cases, a bone biopsy will be done to see if bone softening is present.
Bone biopsy
A bone lesion biopsy is the removal of a piece of bone or bone marrow for examination.
Treatment
Treatment may involve vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus supplements taken by mouth. People who cannot absorb nutrients well through the intestines may need larger doses of vitamin D and calcium. This includes people who have some types of weight loss surgery.
People with certain conditions may need regular blood tests to monitor blood levels of phosphorus and calcium.
Outlook (Prognosis)
Some people with vitamin deficiency disorders will get better within a few weeks. With treatment, healing should happen within 6 months.
Possible Complications
Symptoms can return.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of osteomalacia, or if you think that you may be at risk for this disorder.
Prevention
Eating a diet rich in vitamin D and getting plenty of sunlight and calcium can help prevent osteomalacia due to a vitamin D deficiency.
References
Bringhurst FR, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, Kronenberg HM, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology . 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 28.
Demay MB, Krane SM. Disorders of mineralization. In: Jameson JL, De Groot LJ, de Kretser DM, et al, eds. Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric . 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 71.
Weinstein RS. Osteomalacia and rickets. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman's Cecil Medicine . 25th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 244.
-
Diseased hip - illustration
Hip Joint Replacement or Total Hip Replacement is surgery to replace all or part of the hip joint with an artificial device to restore joint movement (a prosthesis).
Diseased hip
illustration
Review Date: 5/2/2016
Reviewed By: Brent Wisse, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Nutrition, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
