What is osteomalacia caused by?
Osteomalacia develops most commonly due to a vitamin D deficiency (often from not getting enough sunlight), or less frequently, due to a digestive or kidney disorder. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and for maintaining bone health. These disorders can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb vitamins.
How does vitamin D deficiency cause osteomalacia?
Vitamin D deficiency causes low calcium and phosphate, which lead to secondary hyperparathyroidism. Osteomalacia results from a loss of skeletal mass caused by inadequate mineralisation of the normal osteoid tissue after the closure of the growth plates.
What is rickets and its causes?
Rickets is the softening and weakening of bones in children, usually because of an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency. Rare inherited problems also can cause rickets. Vitamin D helps your child’s body absorb calcium and phosphorus from food.
What is the difference between osteomalacia and rickets?
Overview. Osteomalacia is a condition in which the bones lose calcium and become softer. (When osteomalacia occurs in children, it’s called rickets.) As the bones get softer and more flexible, they are affected by the weight they carry or other forces put on them.
What are the signs and symptoms of osteomalacia?
What are the symptoms of osteomalacia?
- pain felt in the bones and joints.
- muscle pain and weakness, particularly following exercise.
- bones that break more easily, particularly those in the hips, lower back and feet.
- difficulty walking and a change in how you walk – possibly with a waddle.
- muscle cramps.
What causes Vit D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and fractures (broken bones). Severe vitamin D deficiency can also lead to other diseases. In children, it can cause rickets. Rickets is a rare disease that causes the bones to become soft and bend.
What causes a vitamin D deficiency?
(Rickets; Osteomalacia) Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.
What causes low vitamin D?
What is osteoporosis and osteomalacia?
Osteomalacia is more common in women and often happens during pregnancy. It’s not the same as osteoporosis. Both can cause bones to break. But while osteomalacia is a problem with bones not hardening, osteoporosis is the weakening of the bone.
What causes soft bones?
Osteomalacia is the name of a condition where bones become soft and weak. This means they can bend and break more easily than normal. The most common cause is not having enough vitamin D. Rickets is the name of a similar condition that affects children.
What is the treatment for osteomalacia?
If you have osteomalacia – the adult form of rickets that causes soft bones – treatment with supplements will usually cure the condition. However, it may be several months before any bone pain and muscle weakness is relieved. You should continue taking vitamin D supplements regularly to prevent the condition returning.
What are symptoms of low vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps with strong bones and may help prevent some cancers. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include muscle weakness, pain, fatigue and depression….Signs and symptoms might include:
- Fatigue.
- Bone pain.
- Muscle weakness, muscle aches, or muscle cramps.
- Mood changes, like depression.