Overview
- Researchers tracked a prospective cohort of 123 pregnant women in Borlänge, Sweden, collecting clinical data during pregnancy and linking to delivery records two years later.
- Twenty participants were diagnosed with osteomalacia using a non‑invasive protocol, including 19 of Somali origin and one Swedish woman.
- Statistical models adjusted for confounders showed a roughly fivefold higher likelihood of emergency caesarean section or vacuum‑assisted delivery among women with osteomalacia.
- The team used a causal analysis framework with Directed Acyclic Graphs and multinomial logistic regression to isolate osteomalacia’s association with delivery outcomes.
- Authors suggest muscle weakness and potential pelvic bone effects as plausible mechanisms and say early identification and treatment with vitamin D, calcium and safe sun exposure could reduce risks, while calling for replication before routine practice changes.