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osteitis fibrosa cystica
Monday 23 April 2012
OFC, osteitis fibrosa, osteodystrophia fibrosa, Von Recklinghausen’s Disease of Bone
Digital case
JRC:18781 : Osteitis fibrosa cystica, vertebrae
Definition: Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica is a skeletal disorder caused by a surplus of parathyroid hormone from over-active parathyroid glands.
This surplus stimulates the activity of osteoclasts, cells that break down bone, in a process known as osteoclastic bone resorption.
The overactivity of the parathyroid glands (hyperparathyroidism) can be triggered by parathyroid adenoma, hereditary factors, parathyroid carcinoma, or renal osteodystrophy.
Osteoclastic bone resorption releases minerals, including calcium, from the bone into the bloodstream. In addition to elevated blood calcium levels, overactivity of this process results in a loss of bone mass, a weakening of the bones as their calcified supporting structures are replaced with fibrous tissue (peritrabecular fibrosis), and the formation of cyst-like brown tumors in and around the bone.
The symptoms of the disease are the consequences of both the general softening of the bones and the excess calcium in the blood, and include bone fractures, kidney stones, nausea, appetite loss, and weight loss.
See also
hyperparathyroidism bone lesions bone tumors