Disease Profile in the Archive: Paget’s Disease

By habits in Smoking on October 22nd, 2011

Fosamax has always been among the most widely used drugs in the United States over the years. However, a look back and ahead at Fosamax lawsuits would tell us the rough times this drug and its manufacturer, Merck, are going through. This, and other drugs on the same classification are considered as the osteoporosis’ first line of treatment. On top of that, this drug may also be given as the treatment another severe bone condition known as the Paget’s disease.

More than 8.2 million people States have already been diagnosed with Paget’s disease, also known to many as osteitis deformans, making it the most prevalent bone disease in the United States after osteoporosis. Added to that, it rarely occurs in people younger than 40 years old and its ratio from male to female is 1.2:1. Even if the disease can be present in various countries in the world, it occurs chiefly in European places such England, France and Germany.

Paget’s disease is a localized and chronic disorder that can result in enlarged and misshapen bones. Initially in Paget’s disease, the bone remodeling cycle loses balance as bone resorption becomes faster due to the rising number of bone cells responsible for the bone breakdown. It then proceeds to a stage with heightened bone formation causing bones that are larger but weaker than usual.

Paget’s disease can have an effect on practically any bone in the skeleton but it commonly hits the long bones, spine, skull and the pelvis. It is common for people not to be aware of having the disease due to its asymptomatic nature. Nonetheless, other patients may manifest localized symptoms depending on the bone affected with the disease.

When left untreated, this bone problem can further lead to severe impediments. For example, Paget’s disease involving the skull can develop the following situations:

Dental malocclusion
Vertigo
Basilar invagination
Cranial nerve disorders
Deafness
Tinnitus

Patients diagnosed with Paget’s disease are often treated with the bone-strengthening medication Fosamax or other bisphosphonates. However, there are findings suggesting that the use of Fosamax may put you at risk for serious problems including atypical fractures of the thigh bone. There are a number of people claiming that they suffered such problems as a result of the use of the drug with others ultimately decided on filing a Fosamax lawsuit.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paget’s_disease_of_bone
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/334607-overview
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/p/pagetbone/stats.htm

Share and Enjoy: