Causes & Risk Factors Of Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica

Osteitis fibrosa cystica is a disease in which the patient has at least one over-active parathyroid gland producing too much parathyroid hormone, known as hyperparathyroidism. This causes the bones to become soft, weak, and deformed. It can be cancerous or noncancerous, is painful, and can also produce cysts. Before 1950, about fifty percent of the population diagnosed with hyperthyroidism also had osteitis fibrosa cystica. In modern times, this has dramatically decreased to less than ten percent. The reason for this decrease is because doctors can diagnose hyperthyroidism in its earlier stages.