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.
In children, the condition is called rickets.
Vitamin D deficiency - osteomalacia; Calcium - osteomalacia
A lack of the proper amount of calcium in the blood can lead to weak and soft bones. Low blood calcium can be caused by low vitamin D level in the blood.
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:
You may not get enough vitamin D from your diet if you:
Other conditions that may cause osteomalacia include:
Symptoms include:
Symptoms may also occur due to low calcium level. These include:
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.
Rachel Gafni is an Endocrinologist and a Pediatric Endocrinologist in Bethesda, Maryland. Gafni is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Osteomalacia. She is also highly rated in 15 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Osteomalacia, Rickets, Autosomal Dominant Hypocalcemia, Malnutrition, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). She is licensed to treat patients in Maryland.
Michael Collins is an Endocrinologist in Bethesda, Maryland. Collins is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Osteomalacia. He is also highly rated in 21 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Osteitis Fibrosa, Fibrous Dysplasia, Osteomalacia, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and Spinal Fusion. He is licensed to treat patients in Maryland.
Thomas Carpenter is an Endocrinologist and a Pediatrics expert in New Haven, Connecticut. Carpenter has been practicing medicine for over 46 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Osteomalacia. He is also highly rated in 15 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are X-Linked Hypophosphatemia, Hypophosphatemia, Rickets, Malnutrition, and Gastric Bypass. He is licensed to treat patients in Connecticut. Carpenter is currently accepting new patients.
Some people with vitamin deficiency disorders will get better within a few weeks. With treatment, healing should happen within 6 months.
Symptoms can return.
Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of osteomalacia, or if you think that you may be at risk for this disorder.
Eating a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium and getting sufficient exposure to sunlight can help prevent osteomalacia due to vitamin D deficiency.
Summary: In this study spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS), which allows the collection of Raman spectra through turbid media, is being applied to collect Raman spectra of bone. The principal aim to find ways to use Raman spectroscopy to assess bone quality in vivo.
Summary: The objectives of this observational study are to assess the long-term safety and long-term effectiveness of burosumab in patients with TIO who are being treated with burosumab as prescribed by their physician and to monitor the course of the underlying phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor (PMT) overtime in patients with TIO irrespective of their treatment status.
Published Date: April 29, 2022
Published By: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Bhan A, Rao AD, Bhadada SK, Rao SD. Rickets and osteomalacia. In Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 31.
Chonchol M, Smogorzewski MJ, Stubbs JR, Yu ASL. Disorders of calcium homeostasis. In: Yu ASL, Chertow GM, Luyckx VA, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 18.
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-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 231.