Primary metabolic bone disorder in scurvy is:
**Core Concept**
Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) leading to impaired collagen synthesis, which affects bone health.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
Vitamin C is essential for the hydroxylation of lysine and proline residues in collagen, a crucial protein for bone matrix formation. In scurvy, the lack of vitamin C impairs this process, resulting in defective collagen synthesis and leading to osteoid formation without mineralization, a hallmark of rickets. This condition is known as osteoid osteitis or osteoid necrosis.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** This option is incorrect because scurvy primarily affects collagen synthesis, not the mineralization of bones, which is more characteristic of disorders like rickets or osteomalacia.
**Option B:** This option is incorrect because osteomalacia is a metabolic bone disorder caused by vitamin D deficiency, leading to impaired mineralization of bone tissue, not a direct result of vitamin C deficiency.
**Option C:** This option is incorrect because hyperparathyroidism is a disorder of calcium and phosphate metabolism, leading to increased bone resorption, which is not directly related to vitamin C deficiency.
**Option D:** This option is incorrect because osteoporosis is a condition characterized by decreased bone mass and density, often due to aging or hormonal imbalances, and is not directly caused by vitamin C deficiency.
**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
Scurvy can be treated with vitamin C supplementation, and it's essential to remember that the symptoms of scurvy can be reversed once the vitamin C deficiency is corrected. This is a classic example of a treatable metabolic bone disorder.
**Correct Answer: C. Osteoid osteitis or osteoid necrosis.**