osteomalacic

A vitamin D deficiency in adults that results in a shortage or loss of calcium salts, causing bones to become increasingly soft, flexible, brittle, and deformed. An adult form of rickets, osteomalacia can also be traced to liver disease, cancer, or other ailments that inhibit the normal metabolism of vitamin D.osteomalacic (-mal-a'sik), adjective

Symptoms

Clinical findings are pains in the limbs, spine, thorax, and pelvis; fractures; anemia; and progressive weakness.

Etiology

The disease is caused by any of the many vitamin D disorders or by deranged phosphorus metabolism.

Treatment

In patients with vitamin D–deficient diets, ergocalciferol and calcium are given as nutritional supplements.

A rare disorder in which low serum phosphorus levels and excessive wasting of phosphorus by the kidneys accompany weakening and softening of bone. The disease is found in patients with cancer and is caused by excessive circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor.