1. Paget's Disease Is a Chronic Bone Disorder
This chronic bone disorder, also known as osteitis deformans, occurs as a result of irregular breakdown and formation of bone tissue. This disease can cause bones to expand and weaken, resulting in pain, arthritis, nerve compression deformity and fractures. Paget's disease is often confused with other bone disorders causing diagnosis to often to be delayed until significant symptoms occur.
2. Bone Is a Living Tissue
Old bone is constantly be replaced by new bone. Bone is living tissue and its continual process of breakdown and replacement is a normal process. Paget's disease, however, disrupts this normal process and is instead characterized by excessive breakdown and abnormal bone formation. Old bone begins to break down faster than the new bone can be formed. In response, the body builds new bone at a faster than normal rate, but this rapid process develops bone that is softer and weaker than healthy bone.
3. The Cause of Paget's Disease Is Unknown
The cause of the disease is unknown, yet experts theorize genetic and early viral infection causes. Some researchers suggest Paget's disease is caused by a "slow infection" because the observable symptoms may develop years after the disease process is present in the body. Males and females are affected approximately equally and the disease is primarily diagnosed in individuals over 40 years of age. Paget's disease is diagnosed through multiple tests including an X-ray, an alkaline phosphatase test, and a bone scan. An x-ray can indicate increased bone density, thickening, bowing and overgrowth, while a bone scan determines the level of activity or extent of bone disease. Physicians also look for elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, a protein found in all body tissues to point to the disease.
4. Paget's Disease Has Many Symptoms
The symptoms of Paget's disease may be confused with those of arthritis. Common symptoms include headaches, bone pain, hearing loss, joint cartilage damage, and deformity of the bones, such as bowing of a limb bone or curvature of the spine. Paget's disease is most commonly found in the spine, skull and pelvis. Disease sufferers can be symptomatic at one or multiple sites.
5. There Is No Cure for Paget's Disease
Treatment focuses on reducing symptoms. Drug therapy attempts to lessen bone breakdown and reduce pain and inflammation. Two typical drug therapies include bisphosphonates and calcitonin, which alter the rate of bone turnover by binding to bone to stop breakdown and by inhibiting the cells that absorb bone. Non-drug therapies, such as occupational and physical therapy, focus on exercise to improve muscle strength to better support the affected bones. In cases of severe bone or joint deformity, surgery may be performed to correct these changes.
