Paget’s Awareness Day

Paget’s Awareness Day Takes Place on January 11 Each Year

January 11 marks the birthday of James Paget, a Victorian surgeon and pathologist. He was the first to recognize and describe what is today known as Paget’s Disease. Sir James’ first paper on the condition was titled “On a form of Chronic Inflammation of Bones.” It was published in the Medical Chirurgical Transactions in 1877, a medical journal published from 1809 to 1907. For this reason, Paget’s Awareness Day takes place each year in January and is represented by the blue ribbon.

Paget’s Disease is a condition that predominantly affects the elderly. It is further characterized by pain and deformity of the bones, deafness, fractures, and in rare cases bone cancer. The UK has the world’s largest number of Paget’s Disease sufferers. Public awareness of the disease, however, is surprisingly low. For this reason, it is important to recognize Paget’s Disease and raise awareness on January 11 each year.

Paget’s Awareness Day: What is Paget’s Disease of Bone?

Paget’s disease affects the normal repair and renewal process of bone. Throughout life, bone is renewed and repaired through a process called bone remodeling. Paget’s disease is characterized by abnormalities in this process. The affected bone is renewed and repaired at an increased rate, adversely affecting the bone’s structure. Thus, bone affected by Paget’s disease may be enlarged and misshapen.

Paget’s disease can occur in any bone, often causes no symptoms, and may be found by chance. For those with symptoms, these may include pain, deformity and fracture. Either single or multiple bones may be affected with common sites being the spine, skull, pelvis and thigh. The thigh bone is also known as the femur.

The risk of developing Paget’s Disease increases with age and it is most commonly diagnosed in those over 50 years. Paget’s Disease is the second most common metabolic bone disease after osteoporosis. The condition is common in the UK and other European countries such as France, Spain and Italy and in people of European descent. This includes those who have emigrated to other regions of the world, such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.

What Causes Paget’s Disease?

There are still some uncertainties about the causes of Paget’s Disease. It is generally believed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Genetic factors play a key role in predisposing to Paget’s Disease. It is thought that people who develop Paget’s Disease inherit variations in one or more genes that regulate osteoclast activity, causing bone resorption to be increased.

Environmental factors also play a role in Paget’s Disease, as evidenced by the fact, that over the last few decades, the frequency and severity of the disease have declined in many countries. It is most marked in regions that previously had a high prevalence, such as the UK. Various environmental triggers are thought to cause it, including dietary calcium or vitamin D deficiency, exposure to environmental toxins, repetitive mechanical stress on the bone, skeletal trauma and slow viral infections. Despite this, researchers have yet to discover which environmental factors influence the development of Paget’s Disease.

(Image: Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash)