Osteomalacia is characterized by large osteoid seams and a preserved volume of bone trabeculae. The mineralization of newly formed bone requires adequate concentrations of calcium and phosphate: the Ca.P product has been regarded as a useful, empirical diagnostic test of osteomalacia. It decreases in patients with osteomalacia mainly because they have very low plasma phosphate levels. At present total body bone mineral and total body bone density can be directly measured by whole body absorptiometry, which indicates the lowest total mineral content of the skeleton which can increase quickly after adequate treatment. The main symptoms of osteomalacia are: bone pain; muscular weakness (commonly as pelvic girdle myopathy); Looser-Milkman pseudofractures or more often a pattern of generalized demineralization at X-ray. The main biochemical parameters in osteomalacia include: defective calcium absorption with hypocalcemia and hypocalciuria; defective intestinal phosphate absorption with hypophosphatemia; there is often increased renal phosphate clearance due to hypocalcemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism; elevated alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels; high bone turnover confirmed by kinetic studies carried out with radiocalcium or 99mTc-MDP. An etiological classification of the osteomalacias includes: 1) nutritional osteomalacia: a) inadequate exposure to sunlight and/or insufficient vitamin D intake; b) defective intestinal absorption of vitamin D because of malabsorption syndromes (e.g. jejuno-ileal bypass for obesity).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)