Paget's Disease Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

In the early stages, most people have no noticeable symptoms. In later stages, symptoms may include:

• Swelling or deformity of a limb
• Increased head size
• Bowing of a limb
• Curvature of the spine
• Chronic bone pain, especially legs, hips, or spine
• Frequent fractures
• Problems with walking or gait
• Headaches, facial pain, or hearing loss when the skull bones are affected
• Swollen or painful joints due to damaged joint cartilage
• Numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness from pressure on nerves

Depending on the bone site, Paget's disease may result in:

• Arthritis, usually osteoarthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• High calcium in blood
• Kidney stones
• Hearing problems
• Dental problems
• Rarely:
  • Eye problems
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Bone cancer (sarcoma)

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. Tests may include:

• Blood tests—such as those for alkaline phosphatase or calcium
• X-ray —a test that uses radiation to take a picture of the bones
• Bone scan —a series of pictures of bones taken after injection of a small amount of radioactive material