Osteomalacia is a bone disease

General
Osteomalacia is a bone disease in which bone density decreases due to vitamin D deficiency. The bone is about one-third of developed materials that are produced by special cells called osteoblasts. Two-thirds of the bone mass are made of minerals, especially calcium,

which are incorporated into this matrix and thereby give the bone until the necessary hardness. In osteomalacia can be absorbed into the body due to vitamin D deficiency, too little calcium in the gut. The bone is the resulting reduction of hard, mineralized bone, which is then replaced by non-mineralized matrix, much softer. The result is that the bone bends in the most polluted regions. Basically, the cause must be sought at all stages of calcium metabolism. Vitamin D, which is responsible for the uptake of calcium absorbed from food in the gut may be decreased due to a deficiency or malnutrition. Vitamin D can also by our bodies from its precursors, which we absorb from food, are formed. This requires that the precursors are converted in our body three times: once with the help of sunlight in the skin, a second time in the liver and a third time in the kidney. With lack of sunlight, as this can occur for example in nursing home residents, or kidney disease can therefore lead to a vitamin D deficiency. Some drugs, such as stomach acid blockers or some epilepsy medications can lead to different ways to a vitamin D deficiency and thus to a reduced calcium absorption in the intestine. Back to top Symptoms
Osteomalacia in the elderly is only symptomatic and develops insidiously. The extent of symptoms depends on the bone mass at the beginning of the disease and the cause of the disorder that leads to vitamin D deficiency. The initial symptoms are muscle weakness, joint pain and diffuse pain throughout the skeletal system. These symptoms are nonspecific and resemble normal age-related complaints. For this reason, the disease is often diagnosed only late, namely when she has osteoporosis-like symptoms. The reduced bone density facilitates the formation of vertebral fractures. After multiple spinal fractures can be in the top half of the back form a hump, which is also known as dowager's hump. The noticeable decrease in body size is also caused by vertebral fractures. Back to top Diagnosis
The physical examination contributes little to the disease at diagnosis. Note the body extending over the whole pain in the skeletal system. Especially painful are the higher stress regions of the musculoskeletal system. Through the bone remodeling produces substances that can be detected in the blood, especially the alkaline phosphatase. Crucial for the diagnosis of osteomalacia that is why the blood test, because at the very similar osteoporosis manifesting this degradation product can not be detected in unusually high amounts. With an X-ray image, the loss of bone mass are shown. Suspicious for osteomalacia are so-called conversion Looser zones, formed by the replacement of a hard, mineralized bone by soft bone. This conversion Looser zones are found mainly on exposed bone points and often lead to fatigue fractures. When x-ray of the spine the same changes are visible as in osteoporosis. Vertebral fractures by vertebral bodies are wedge-shaped or deformed fish, or it can be seen cranked deck or belly plates. Ambiguities must be removed during a bone sample, which after appropriate preparation, can be examined under a microscope. This can be distinguished from similar bone disease osteomalacia. Back to top Therapy
The treatment of osteomalacia is according to the underlying disorder in a supply of vitamin D. If a vitamin D deficiency due to a deficiency or malnutrition before, as can occur for example in strict vegetarians or a fat-free diet is taken vitamin D in the form of drops or capsules. If the fed vitamin D is indeed supplied in sufficient quantities, but can not be absorbed, the substance must be injected directly into the bloodstream. As described above, can disable various medications, vitamin D and thus lead to a vitamin deficiency. In this case, often very high doses of the vitamin is needed to compensate for the deficiency. If the cause of osteomalacia is corrected, may very pronounced and debilitating deformations of the musculoskeletal system may be removed by surgery.


source: eesom.com