II. Definitions
- Paget Disease of Bone
- Benign skeletal condition of increased focal bone resorption and disordered bone formation
- Pagetic Lesion
- Focal region of bone resorption and disordered bone formation
III. Epidemiology
-
Prevalence (United States)
- Overall: 1-2%
- Age over 80 years: 10%
- Onset over age 50 years
- Incidence doubles every decade over age 50 years old
- Rare under age 40 years old
- Gender
- Males are slightly more likely than women to be affected (RR 1.5)
- Ethnicity and Regions
- Uncommon in Asia and Scandanavia
- Common in United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
IV. Pathophysiology
- Focal bone resorption and disordered bone formation
- Phase 1: Intense Osteoclastic activity
- Bone resorption predominates
- Bone turnover is 20 times normal rate
- Phase 2: Osteolytic-Osteoblastic activity
- Osteoclastic activity stimulates reflexive Osteoblastic activity
- Results in poorly organized, woven bone formation
- Ineffective mineralization
- Phase 3: Dense bone deposition
- Resulting bone is disorganized, deformed and sclerotic with increased vascularity
- Resulting bone is more fragile, weaker than normal bone
- Involved Bone Marrow is also fibrotic
- Phase 1: Intense Osteoclastic activity
- Pagetic Lesions (focal areas of bone abnormalities)
- Monostotic Pagetic Lesions
- Single site focus of bone abnormality
- Polyostotic Pagetic Lesions
- Multiple focal sites of bone abnormality
- Monostotic Pagetic Lesions
- Distribution
- Associated factors (etiology unknown)
- Viral Antigen association (especially paramyxoviruses including Measles)
- Diet and toxin exposure may also play a role
- Family History
- Autosomal Dominant (with incomplete penetrance)
- Positive Family History present in 10-20% of cases
- Family History may confer up to a 10 fold increased risk
- Sequestrome-1 or SQSTM1 (on Chromosome 5) encodes ubiquitin-binding p62 Protein
- SQSTM1 Mutations are responsible for 50% of familial and 30% of sporadic cases
V. Symptoms
- Asymptomatic in 70% of cases
- Most cases are found incidentally (elevated Alkaline Phosphatase, xray abnormalities)
- Pain (74%)
- Most common presenting symptom (but typically occurs later in course)
- Mild to moderate constant pain (severe sharp pain may suggest pathologic Fracture)
- Results from osteolytic activity, bone deformities or adjacent Osteoarthritis
- Pain provocative factors
- Rest or night pain
- Weight bearing
- Warming
- Pain palliative measures
- Activity
- Bone deformity (18%)
- Hearing Loss (8%)
- Pathologic Fractures (6%)
- Headaches
- Radiculopathy
- References
VI. Signs
VII. Labs: Diagnosis
-
Liver Function Tests with Alkaline Phosphatase
- Total Serum Alkaline Phosphatase
- Bone specific Alkaline Phosphatase
- Other markers
- Procollagen Type 1 N-Terminal Proptide
- Urinary cross-linked N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 Collagen
- Urinary hydroxyproline is no longer used as marker
VIII. Labs: Monitoring
- Screening if first degree relative has Paget's Disease
- Alkaline Phosphatase every 3 years (over age 50)
- Monitoring of diagnosed Paget's Disease
- Alkaline Phosphatase every 3 to 12 months
IX. Imaging: XRay
- Indications
- Focal pain or deformity
- Alkaline Phosphatase with unexplained elevation but no focal pain or deformity to guide imaging
- Skull XRay
- Facial Bone XRay
- Abdominal XRay
- Tibia-Fibula XRay
-
General changes
- Combined focal osteolytic lesions with nearby osteosclerosis
- Bone deformity or enlargement
- Cortical thickening
- Loss of corticomedullary distinction
- Pronounced bone trabeculae
-
Skull changes
- Osteoporosis circumscripta cranii
- Long bone changes
X. Imaging: Bone Scan (Technetium-99m)
- Focal areas of intense and homogenous radiotracer uptake
- Appearance of Mouse-face on Vertebrae
XI. Complications
- Pathologic Fractures
- Long Bone Fractures
- Vertebral Compression Fractures
- Neurologic (esp. Nerve Compression Syndromes from direct pressure)
- Hearing Loss (Cochlear involvement)
- Vertigo
- Cranial Nerve palsy
- Spinal stenosis or radiculopathy resulting in weakness, numbness or Paresthesias
- Hydrocephalus
- Headache
-
Hypercalciuria and Hypercalcemia (uncommon)
- Associated with polyostotic disease (multiple focal Pagetic Lesions) AND immobilization or Fracture
- Ureterolithiasis risk
- Significant Hypercalcemia is rare
- High Output Cardiac Failure (rare)
- Associated with severe polyostotic disease (multiple focal Pagetic Lesions) with marked increased vascularity
- Malignant degeneration (1% of Paget's Disease)
- Osteosarcoma (most common of malignant complications)
- Chondrosarcoma
- Giant Cell tumors
- Fibrosarcoma
- Spindle cell Sarcoma
- Other complications
- Pseudomalignancy (Pseudosarcoma or pseudo giant cell)
- Osteoarthritis (Paget's Disease involving joint)
XII. Management: General Measures
- Adequate pain control
- Low impact Exercise
- Avoid straining affected bone
- Calcium Supplementation 1000 mg orally daily
- Vitamin D 400 IU per day
XIII. Management: Suppress bone resorption (Osteoclasts)
- Indications
- Symptomatic patients
- Bone pain
- Hearing Loss
- Nerve Compression Syndromes
- XRay identified osteolytic lesions
- Active Paget's Disease (or complication risk of untreated Paget's Disease)
- Alkaline Phosphatase >125 to 150% of normal
- Symptomatic patients
- First line agents: Bisphosphonates
- Avoid in advanced Chronic Kidney Disease, Hypocalcemia, pregnancy
- Zoledronic acid (Reclast) 5 mg IV once (preferred)
- Re-evaluate with total Serum Alkaline Phosphatase at 1-2 years
- Retreatment may be needed after 5 years from prior dose
- Alternative Bisphosphonate protocols
- Risedronate (Actonel) 30 mg daily for 2 months
- Alendronate (Fosamax) 40 mg daily for 6 months
- Alternatives (not as potent as Bisphosphonates)
- Calcitonin 100 U SC or IM daily for 6 to 18 months
- Avoid Teriparatide (Forteo) due to increased risk of Osteosarcoma
- Monitoring
- Total Serum Alkaline Phosphatase
- Baseline
- Month 3-6 after treatment
- Consider retreatment if no response to therapy (esp. when not using Zoledronic Acid)
- Every 6-12 months (every 1-2 years if Zoledronic acid used)
- XRay
- Repeat XRay at one year after treatment if osteolytic lesions were present before treatment
- Total Serum Alkaline Phosphatase
XIV. References
- Simon in Klippel (1997) Primer Rheumatic, p. 382-4
- Schneider (2002) Am Fam Physician 65(10):2069-72 [PubMed]
- Rianon (2020) Am Fam Physician 102(4): 224-8 [PubMed]