Causes And Risk Factors Of Paget's Disease

Age

Individuals over forty years old are more likely to develop Paget's disease than others. The condition is rarely diagnosed in individuals younger than forty years old. This shows the risk of developing Paget's disease increases with age. The onset of the disorder usually occurs after fifty-five, and approximately eight percent of the population over sixty may be suffering from Paget's disease. Our bones are constantly renewing themselves, but Paget's disease causes excessive breakdown and formation of bone tissue.

Symptoms may be mild or undetectable in the beginning stages and surface in later years. They are often confused with other bone disorders like osteoporosis, another age-related bone condition, because of the similarities. Many age-related conditions cause symptoms of Paget's disease: weak bones, bone pain, deformities, and fractures.

Keep reading for more on this disease and the potential causes and risk factors.

Nationality

A person's nationality can increase their risk of developing Paget's disease. Evidence shows individuals who live in certain geographical areas like the United States, Greece, England, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand, and various parts of Europe are more likely to suffer from the disease. It's also more common in countries settled by European immigrants and in individuals of Anglo-Saxon descent. It's less common in Scandinavia, China, Japan, and India. Paget’s disease occurs most frequently in the United Kingdom and among those with western European heritage. It's estimated in individuals aged fifty and older in the United Kingdom, about two to three of every one hundred have the disease somewhere in their body. Approximately one percent of United States residents over forty years old are afflicted with Paget's disease.