A Case of Osteomalacia Caused by Severe Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is a kind of hormone that can be synthesized in the skin or it is supplied in the diet it is involved in a central role in bone and calcium homeostasis in vivo. Metabolic bone diseases such as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults can also be caused by deficiency or metabolic defects in the vitamin D hormone related system. However, there has been a lack of generalized epidemiologic studies about the vitamin D deficiency status in Koreans. We recently experienced a case of osteomalacia caused by severe vitamin D deficiency. These kinds of case have not been reported elsewhere in Korea for the last twenty years. (J Kor Endocrinol Soc 22:55~61, 2007)