Orthopedics An Overview of Paget's Disease of Bone Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P Rod Brouhard, EMT-P Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients. Learn about our editorial process Updated on April 23, 2022 Medically reviewed by Oluseun Olufade, MD Medically reviewed by Oluseun Olufade, MD LinkedIn Twitter Oluseun Olufade, MD, is a board-certified orthopedist. He teaches as an Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Coping Paget's disease of bone is the second most common metabolic bone condition behind osteoporosis, causing accelerated bone growth leading to tumors and increased bleeding from fractures. Paget's disease of bone affects one or more bones in the body. The body is supposed to break down old bone and replenish it over time. Paget's disease of bone accelerates that process which includes the regrowth of new bone. The resulting accelerated bone growth leads to abnormal growth, including deformities and bones that are prone to fractures. Paget's disease can often go completely without symptoms and inadvertently might be detected only through an X-ray or a surgery performed for a different reason. Verywell / JR Bee Symptoms Paget's disease of bone might not have any symptoms at all. Most patients never know they have it and only through diagnostic tests that are looking for other medical conditions do healthcare providers discover the disease. However, there are patients who have complaints from Paget's disease. These include: Pain in the hips, legs, or arms Headaches, hearing loss, or visual changes when it affects the bones of the skullNumbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms and legs from bone growth compressing nervesOsteoarthritisBowing or deformity of the legs or armsGrowths or deformity of the skull If you experience a new onset of pain or weakness in an arm or leg, you should make an appointment with a healthcare provider or healthcare professional for an evaluation to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. Causes Medical experts don't really know how Paget's disease is acquired or what causes it to develop. Scientists suggest that the causes are a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, with some theories reporting a possible association with exposure to a virus. The genetic component is thought to make the patient vulnerable to the disease while the environmental trigger causes the disease to affect the patient. Another theory is that the disease is caused entirely by a virus, although that is a less popular opinion. Paget's disease of bone is the second most common metabolic bone condition, possibly affecting about two percent of people aged at least 55 years living in areas where it is found. Only osteoporosis is more prevalent. There is a hereditary component and Paget's disease of bone is more common for people of northern European descent. It is a bit more common in men than women and unusual in people before reaching the age of 40. The prevalence of Paget's disease of bone has been decreasing in recent years. Some scientists have associated this with the development of vaccines for certain types of viruses, including measles. However, this has not been definitively proven. Diagnosis Some patients are diagnosed incidentally, when getting a diagnostic test for another reason. If you are having symptoms, your healthcare provider will most likely order X-rays and possibly a bone scan, also known as bone scintigraphy, to look for growths and tumors caused by the disease. Your healthcare provider may order a lab test to determine the levels of alkaline phosphatase in your blood. Elevated levels indicate the active presence of metabolic diseases such as Paget's disease of bone. Treatment Depending on symptoms, treatment ranges from monitoring to the use of bisphosphonates, the same class of medications used for the treatment of osteoporosis. Your healthcare provider will likely order treatment if you are experiencing pain or discomfort. If symptoms are severe enough, surgery might be indicated to correct areas where bone growth is encroaching on other functions. Coping There is no cure for Paget's disease of bone. Your healthcare provider may prescribe treatment to manage the condition or you might be able to continue without changes. Many patients with Paget's disease of bone live their entire lives without knowing they have the condition. If you have Paget's disease, even without symptoms, you may be more susceptible to fractures and have an increased risk of bleeding if a bone is broken. It is important to reduce chances for falling by modifying the home environment to reduce risk, and by getting plenty of exercise focusing on strength, balance, and mobility. You can optimize bone health by eating a proper diet including plenty of calcium and vitamin D, but check with your healthcare provider before taking supplements if you have a history of kidney stones. Less than 1% of patients with this condition develop bone cancer, but it is important to maintain surveillance with your healthcare provider after a diagnosis of Paget's disease of bone. A Word From Verywell Paget's disease of bone is one of the more common metabolic bone conditions that people can have for years and not realize it. You may have been given a diagnosis of Paget's disease of bone and haven't had any symptoms. If your healthcare provider discovered the disease through a blood test or X-ray and feels that treatment is necessary, make sure you understand why. Your practitioner may be concerned about bone growth affecting other areas and just wants to assure that you remain symptom-free. Preventing Fall Injuries 9 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Paget’s Disease of Bone. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Paget’s Disease of Bone. American College of Rheumatology. 2019. Information for People Newly Diagnosed With Paget’s Disease of Bone. National Institutes of Health. 2018. Paget’s Disease of Bone and Osteoarthritis: Different Yet Related. National Institutes of Health. 2018. Paget’s Disease. Hospital for Special Surgery. Paget’s Disease of Bone Overview. National Institutes of Health. 2018. Tuck SP, Layfield R, Walker J, Mekkayil B, Francis R. Adult Paget's disease of bone: a review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2017;56(12):2050-2059. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kew430 How Is Paget’s Disease of Bone Diagnosed?. National Institutes of Health. 2018. Vitamin D for Good Bone Health. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Additional Reading Alonso N, Calero-Paniagua I, Del Pino-Montes J. Clinical and Genetic Advances in Paget's Disease of Bone: a Review. Clin Rev Bone Miner Metab. 2016;15(1):37-48. DOI: 10.1007/s12018-016-9226-0 Galson DL, Roodman GD. Pathobiology of Paget's Disease of Bone. J Bone Metab. 2014;21(2):85-98. DOI: 10.11005/jbm.2014.21.2.85 Kang H, Park YC, Yang KH. Paget's Disease: Skeletal Manifestations and Effect of Bisphosphonates. J Bone Metab. 2017;24(2):97-103. DOI: 10.11005/jbm.2017.24.2.97 Merashli M, Jawad A. Paget's Disease of Bone among Various Ethnic Groups. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2015;15(1):e22-6. Nebot Valenzuela E, Pietschmann P. Epidemiology and pathology of Paget's disease of bone - a review. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2016;167(1-2):2-8. DOI: 10.1007/s10354-016-0496-4 By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit