Paget's Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis

Paget's disease of the bone (other terms are Paget's disease, osteitis deformans, osteodystrophia deformans) is a chronic disorder that typically results in inflated and unshaped bone. The condition is named after Sir James Paget, the British surgeon who first described it in the 19th century. The excessive breakdown and formation of bone tissue that occurs with Paget's disease can cause bone to soften, the result being pain, arthritis, deformities, and fractures.

Paget's disease is not often diagnosed in people less than 40 years of age. Women are more commonly affected than men. Prevalence of Paget's disease ranges from 1.5 to 8.0 percent, depending on age and country of residence. Prevalance of familial Paget's disease (where more than one family member has the disease) ranges from 10 to 40 percent in different parts of the world. Because early diagnosis and treatment is important, after age 40, siblings and children of someone with Paget's disease may wish to have an alkaline phosphatase blood test every two or three years. If the alkaline phosphatase level is abnormal, other tests such as a bone-specific alkaline phosphatase test, bone scan, or X-ray can be performed.