A 67-year-old woman develops symptoms of cough and sputum production after an upper respiratory tract infection. A CXR does not show any signs of pneumonia but the report mentions a "pseudo fracture" sign (Looser zones) seen in the left scapula compatible with osteomalacia. She has no pain in the scapula. Which of the following best differentiates rickets and osteomalacia?
Both rickets and osteomalacia are disorders in which mineralization of the organic matrix of the skeleton is defective. Rickets is the name when this disorder occurs in a growing skeleton, whereas osteomalacia occurs after the epiphyseal plates are closed.
the mineralization defect is less severe in osteomalacia
Osteomalacia is only produced by vitamin D deficiency, unlike rickets
the skeleton is at a different stage when affected
parathyroid hormone levels are only routinely elevated in rickets
Immunology and Rheumatology