Osteomalacia

[Bitsi]

Not the same as osteoporosis. A vit D deficiency. I just did a quick search and it doesn't seem to be mentioned here, but it seems we are all very vulnerable to it! When I saw him post-op the surgeon said I had soft bones. I was horrified, knowing my calcium and vit D intake to be fine . I even take K2. I was too feeble to argue about it then but when I saw him in OPD today I did ask and explained about my apparently healthy diet. The answer in a word Pred. There may be a sub-plot to do with fat absorption, Vit D is fat soluble. I cut down my sat fat intake some time ago to deal with high cholesterol but I didn't remove fat from my diet entirely so I'm still a bit bewildered. Does Pred eat vit D?

[Rugger]

Have you had your blood level of vitamin D checked? Even with what we might consider "enough" in our diet, we may need more.

Osteomalacia is the term used in adults, for 'rickets' in children.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Does Pred eat vit D?

It is one of the drugs that potentially decrease your vitamin D levels… have they been checked? You may require more than you think you do, and certainly more than you took prior to the Pred.

[bookish]

What about magnesium? The D, K2 and calcium need mag to work properly. And is your thyroid ok, as that could have been the cause of the high cholesterol. Cheers

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Never mind healthy diet - it is next to impossible to get the vit D you require from diet, at best it may contribute about 10% if you live outside the USA. In the USA many foods are supplemented with vit D, orange juice, milk included. In Europe that is not practised so you need to be careful about reading about "sources of vit D". There is vit D in WILD salmon and other fatty fishes - but you would have to eat at least 1/2lb PER DAY to get what you need. Or a 17-egg omelette amde with a few kg of UV-irradiated mushrooms.

However - yes, pred does deplete vit D even if you have decent levels to start with. And as we age, the skin factory produces less and less from sunlight on skin - which only happens between 11am and 3pm at best between May and September if you live north of Turin in Europe and about Seattle in the USA. And use of sunscreen or even a light tan also reduces how much is produced.