3 Osteoporosis or osteomalacia
Osteoporosis can be defined as an important loss of bone mass, which makes them less dense and more prone to suffer a fracture. In celiac disease, osteoporosis is produced by the insufficient absorption of calcium. So, it is very common when in patients that are untreated.
On the other hand, osteomalacia is due to the decreased absorption of vitamin D by the small intestine. The symptoms of this disease are more common in children because it alters the normal development of the bones.
Osteomalacia is clinically expressed as skeletal deformities (like a very evident valgus deformity of the legs), progressive limping and short stature.
Both osteoporosis and osteomalacia explain why a delayed growth may be closely related to celiac disease.
