Monday, October 12, 2009

Paget's Disease of Bone

Paget's Disease
Paget’s disease of bone causes bones to grow larger and weaker than normal. The disease may affect one or more bones, but does not spread from affected bones to other bones in the body. Paget’s disease can affect any bone in your body, but most people have it in their pelvis, skull, spine, or leg bones. These bones may become misshapen and, because they are weaker than normal bones, can break more easily. Some people with Paget’s disease feel pain in these bones, too.

An estimated 1 million people in the United States have Paget’s disease, or about 1.3 people per 100 men and women age 45 to 74. The disease is more common in older people and those of Northern European heritage. Men are about twice as likely as women to have the disease.

Doctors are not sure what causes the disease. Some people have hereditary Paget's disease, which means it runs in their family and was passed down by their parents. But most people do not have any relatives with Paget's disease. Doctors think a virus may cause Paget's disease in some cases. They are studying different kinds of viruses to try to find ones that may cause the disease.

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