Vitamin D deficiency causes?

Appeared in: GMCH Chandigarh - 2022

Explanation

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin crucial for regulating calcium and phosphate homeostasis.
It promotes the intestinal absorption of these minerals, which are essential for proper bone mineralization.
A prolonged deficiency impairs the mineralization of the bone matrix, leading to rickets in children, whose bones are still growing.
In adults, where bone growth is complete, the same deficiency causes osteomalacia, a condition characterized by the softening of bones.

Option B: Beriberi is not caused by Vitamin D deficiency. It results from a lack of Thiamine (Vitamin B1).
Option C: Dry eyes, or xerophthalmia, is a hallmark sign of Vitamin A deficiency, not Vitamin D deficiency.
Option D: Mouth ulcers are typically associated with deficiencies in B-complex vitamins, such as Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) or Niacin (Vitamin B3), not Vitamin D.

Visual 1: Diagram - A comparison showing a normal leg bone versus a bowed leg bone in a child with rickets. This helps visualize the skeletal deformity.
Visual 2: Infographic - A chart summarizing major vitamins (A, B1, B2, D), their key functions, and their primary deficiency diseases for easy recall.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Vitamin Deficiencies and Associated Diseases as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a key role in identifying at-risk populations for Vitamin D deficiency, including the elderly, individuals with limited sun exposure, obese individuals, and those with malabsorption syndromes.
Patient education is a critical nursing intervention, focusing on the importance of safe sun exposure, dietary sources (fortified milk, fatty fish), and adherence to supplementation when prescribed.
What if? If the patient was a chronic alcoholic, the nurse should also be highly suspicious of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency, which can lead to Wernicke's encephalopathy, a neurological emergency.

How to Approach the Question

This is a direct factual recall question.
First, identify the core subject of the question, which is 'Vitamin D deficiency'.
Next, systematically review the options provided.
Recall the specific diseases or conditions associated with the deficiency of major vitamins.
Match 'Vitamin D' to its known deficiency diseases, 'Rickets' (in children) and 'Osteomalacia' (in adults).
Eliminate the other options by recalling their causes: Beriberi (Vitamin B1), Dry eyes (Vitamin A), and Mouth ulcers (B-complex vitamins).

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full GMCH Chandigarh - 2022

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.