Paget’s disease is a localized bone disorder characterized by abnormal growth of the bone. It may affect one or two bones. The risk of developing the disease increases with the advancing age.
Healthy bone tissue is maintained by cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The osteoblasts build new bones and osteoclasts help to dispose of old bone.
In Paget’s disease, the speed of breaking of bone tissue is faster than normal. The body speeds up rebuilding process of new bone. But these bones are often weak and brittle in nature and therefore break easily. It commonly occurs in pelvis, skull, spine and legs. It may damage the cartilage lining the joints near the affected bones. This wear and tear often leads to osteoarthritis of the affected joints, a condition that may cause pain, swelling and stiffness.
The disease may progress slowly with time. Some common complications that may arise are fracture and deformities, osteoarthritis, heart failure, bone cancer, etc.
CAUSES
The exact cause of the disease is not known. However, following factors are responsible for causing this disease:-
- Genetic factors
- Environmental factors
- Virus