Tuesday, January 6, 2009

PAGET'S DISEASE OF BONE


Proper Name:
osteitis deformans

Common Name:
Paget's disease of bone

Age of Onset:
Most people who are diagnosed with Paget's disease of bone are over forty years old; earlier diagnoses are extremely rare.

Duration:
Paget's disease of the bone, once the onset occurs, does not go away. It progresses at different rates and is sometimes only a minor nuisance, but it never "heals."

Males/Females/Race:
Osteitis deformans is shown to run in families, and it is much more prominent among men.

Cause:
Scientists believe that Paget's disease of bone is caused by a viral infection. More specifically, it is caused by a paramyxovirus, such as the measles or canine distemper virus. Studies also point to a genetic cause, because the likelihood of a family member having the disease is about six times higher than the likelihood of a total stranger having the disease.

Symptoms:
The most obvious symptom of Paget's disease is bone pain. The soreness is often most prominent near joints. Depending on which part of the body the disease is affecting, different symptoms occur. If the disease is affecting the head, the affected could lose hearing or experience chronic headaches. Lack of blood flow to the brain (steal syndrome) can lead to paralysis or fatigue. If the disease is affecting the spine, a permament curvature may result. In the mouth, teeth are pushed out in all directions. Joint damamge caused by Paget's may lead to arthritis, which makes the disease even more difficult to diagnose--less severe cases are often mistaken for arthritis.

Prognosis:
If caught before severe damage is done to the affected bones, Paget's is easily treatable. The symptoms increase very slowly, and the disease usually stays localized in the appendicular skeleton or the legs and does not spread. Although osteitis deformans is not curable, the disease can be stopped and symptoms can be treated. Those affected can lead perfectly normal lives.

Treatment Options:
Paget's disease of bone has many different treatment options. The first of these is drug therapy; patients are either given bisphosphonates (osteoclast inhibitors) or calcitonin (counteracts PTH). Another option is surgery. Surgery, unlike drug therapy, does not attack the problem at its core. Instead, it treats the symptoms. Broken bones can be reset, deformed bones can be moved to allow for better weight-bearing and mobility, joints can be replaced. Lastly, a consistent lifestyle with diet and exercise help to keep bones healthy (calcium and vitamin D are vital to bone health) and therefore slows the progression of the disease.

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