Paget’s disease of bone is a condition in which the normal cycle of bone growth is disrupted. This can cause bones to become weakened and deformed.
The term ‘Paget’s disease of bone’ is used to distinguish the condition from ‘Paget’s disease of the breast’, which is a rare type of breast cancer. For ease of reading, the rest of this section will use the term ‘Paget’s disease’ to refer to ‘Paget’s disease of bone’.
Common symptoms of Paget’s disease include bone pain and deformity.
How common is Paget’s disease?
After osteoporosis (brittle bones), Paget’s disease is the second most common type of bone disease.
For reasons that are unclear, Paget’s disease is most common among people of white British descent. The condition is most widespread in the UK, and is relatively widespread in countries that have experienced high levels of migration from the UK, such as the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Paget’s disease is an age-related condition. It is estimated that 1-2% of white adults who are over 55 years of age have Paget’s disease. This figure rises to 5-8% for white people who are over 80 years of age.
The causes of Paget’s disease are unknown, but it has been suggested that it could be triggered by a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
Outlook
In an estimated 85-95% of cases of Paget’s disease, the disruption to bone growth that is associated with the condition is so mild that it causes no obvious symptoms. This is known as asymptomatic Paget’s disease.
In the remaining 5-15% of cases, medication is available that can help to control the symptoms and relieve pain. There is no cure for Paget’s disease.
In the most serious cases of Paget’s disease, surgery may be required to repair or remodel deformed bones.