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.
Middlesbrough General Hospital, Cleveland, UK.
V
V
Connolly
A A
AA
McConnell
G
G
McGarrity
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