Osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is a condition due to the defective deposition of calcium salts in the bone matrix. In childhood it causes the condition Rickets, producing deformities in the growing bones. It is due to lack of function of vitamin D which is essential for normal mineralisation, either because of lack of dietary intake, because of malabsorption, because of lack of exposure to sunlight or because of kidney or liver disease. More rarely it may be due to an inherited resistance to the effect of vitamin D. In the adult it causes pain and bony tenderness and may cause spontaneous fractures. The treatment depends upon the underlying cause.
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