Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medical condition characterized by abnormal softening of bones: Osteomalacia refers specifically to a bone disorder in adults where bones become soft and weak due to defective bone mineralization. This softening is primarily caused by severe, prolonged deficiencies of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate, which are essential for maintaining bone hardness and strength. It is distinct from rickets, which is the childhood form of this condition.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient's chronic vitamin D deficiency led to a diagnosis of osteomalacia.
  • Symptoms of osteomalacia include bone pain and muscle weakness.
  • Doctors treat osteomalacia with nutritional supplements and sunlight exposure.

Advanced Usage

• Medical Context: The term is used almost exclusively in clinical and medical discussions.
  • Radiographic findings were consistent with osteomalacia.
• Etiological Specification: Often specified by the underlying cause.
  • The osteomalacia was determined to be of nutritional origin.

Variants and Related Words

• Rickets (n): The childhood equivalent of osteomalacia, affecting the growth plates of bones.
• Osteoporosis (n): A different bone disease involving reduced bone density and increased fracture risk, often contrasted with osteomalacia.
• Hypovitaminosis D (n): A deficiency of vitamin D, which is a primary cause of osteomalacia.

Synonyms

• Adult rickets: A less precise but sometimes used synonym.
• Bone softening: A descriptive, non-technical term for the condition.

Related Phrases

• Vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia: A form of the condition that does not respond to standard vitamin D treatment.
• Oncogenic osteomalacia: A rare paraneoplastic syndrome where a tumor causes phosphate wasting, leading to osteomalacia.

Noun

1. abnormal softening of bones caused by deficiencies of phosphorus or calcium or vitamin D