Osteoclasias

Osteoclasias is a term used in medicine to describe the resorption or destruction of bone tissue, principally mediated by osteoclasts. The word can refer to the normal bone remodeling process or to pathological bone loss in disease. In a surgical context, the related term osteoclasis describes a deliberate fracture or breaking of a bone to correct a deformity; when used aloud, osteoclasias may refer to multiple such procedures or to the process of bone resorption depending on context.

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells derived from the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Bone resorption occurs through acidification of the resorption lacuna and secretion of proteolytic enzymes that degrade mineral and organic matrix. This activity is tightly regulated by signaling pathways including RANKL, RANK, and osteoprotegerin (OPG), with osteoblasts and stromal cells providing key regulatory input and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) supporting osteoclast formation.

Pathological osteoclasia leads to osteolytic lesions and weakened bone and is seen in conditions such as hyperparathyroidism, multiple myeloma, metastatic cancers, inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and Paget disease of bone. Diagnosis combines clinical assessment with imaging and, when needed, biopsy or laboratory markers of bone turnover (for example, elevated CTX or TRAP).

Therapeutically, management focuses on treating the underlying condition and reducing excessive bone resorption with antiresorptives such as bisphosphonates or denosumab. In orthopedics, osteoclasis as a surgical procedure involves controlled fracturing and realignment of bone to correct deformities, often followed by fixation and rehabilitation; risks include nonunion and infection.