Battered granny or spontaneous fractures? A legal dilemma.
A 70-year-old woman was admitted from a local nursing home with extensive bruising and bilateral hip discomfort. The referring doctor had reported the possibility of elder abuse to the police. Full examination showed that osteomalacia, precipitated by a poor diet and lack of exposure to sunlight, was sufficient to explain the patient's condition. Caution is recommended in diagnosing elder abuse until other possibilities have been excluded.
Connolly
V
V
Middlesbrough General Hospital, Cleveland, UK.
McConnell
A A
AA
McGarrity
G
G
D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D010018:Osteomalacia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology