Differential Diagnosis Challenges in Osteomalacia and Pregnancy and Lactation Associated Osteoporosis: A Case Report

Pregnancy and lactation are accompanied by physiological changes in mineral-bone metabolism, aimed at meeting the needs of the developing fetus and newborn while maintaining the mother’s health. Due to these changes, particular attention should be paid to the consumption of calcium-rich foods, adequate intake of vitamin D, moderate physical activity, and sufficient sunlight exposure. Bone pathologies observed in the later stages of gestation often manifest with similar clinical symptoms, despite significant pathogenetic differences, which increases the risk of diagnostic and therapeutic errors. This article presents a clinical case of osteomalacia that likely developed long before pregnancy but was diagnosed only after prolonged treatment with anti-osteoporotic and anabolic therapy. The paper discusses the challenges of differential diagnosis between osteomalacia and pregnancy and lactation associated osteoporosis, emphasizing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and the need to raise awareness among specialists, particularly radiologists, for the timely identification of the disease and the prescription of pathogenetically grounded treatment.