Concept and Etiology
Paget’s disease refers to a chronic disease of the skeleton. In healthy
bone, a remodelling process takes place that involves the removal of
old pieces of bones and replacing them with fresh and new bones
(Paget's disease of bone - symptoms and treatment - orthoinfo -
AAOS. OrthoInfo, 2021). When a person suffers from Paget’s
disease, the normal remodelling process shifts out of balance, and it
results in new bones that are abnormal in shape, brittle and weak.
This medical condition weakens the musculoskeletal system. The
medical condition also has an impact on the integumentary system
that involves a set of organs that form the outermost layer of the
body. Both the integumentary system and musculoskeletal system
function together and are responsible for providing structure to the
body and maintaining a protective barrier against external elements
(Integumentary system. Innerbody, 2021). It deviates from the
definition of health as it adversely affects the quality of life of the
affected individuals.
Classification
The disease can be classified into mammary and extramammary. The
mammary classification type is considered to be rare, and it is
generally linked with intraductal cancer. Approximately 93 to 100 %
of cases belong to this category (Lopes et al., 2015). The
extramammary type is regarded to be an adenocarcinoma that
originates from the sin region or the skin appendages in the regions
with apocrine glands (McDaniel et al., 2018).
Clinical Manifestations
Some of the common signs of Paget’s disease include flaky or scaly
skin, redness, itching, a lump in the breast, and thickening of the skin
on the breast area (McDaniel et al., 2018). Some of the main
symptoms of the health condition include fatigue, weakness, loss of
appetite, pain in the abdominal and constipation. The symptoms
relating to the condition could also arise from the effect of the
ailment on the level of calcium in the blood stream. Typically, the
signs and symptoms relating to the health condition occur on one
breast only.
Diagnostic Tests
In many cases, Paget’s disease is discovered when x-rays are taken
for other health-related reasons or when the routine blood work
reveals an elevated blood serum alkaline phosphate level (Paget's
disease of bone - symptoms and treatment - orthoinfo - AAOS.
OrthoInfo, 2021). Thus, the diagnosis of the medical condition is
incidental generally. Apart from x-rays, laboratory tests can also be
performed to aid in the conformation of the diagnosis. Bone scanning
is also used as a useful diagnostic test that helps to determine the
bone that has been affected by the condition. On some occasions, a
biopsy is helpful to confirm the diagnosis of Paget’s disease (Paget's
disease of bone - symptoms and treatment - orthoinfo - AAOS.
OrthoInfo, 2021).
References
Integumentary system. Innerbody. (2021). Retrieved November 30,
2021, from
https://www.innerbody.com/anatomy/integumentary#:~:text=The
%20integumentary%20system%20is%20an,%%202C%20nails%2C
%20and%20exocrine%20glands.&text=Skin%20forms%20the
%20body’s%20outer,UV%20light%2C%20and%20physical
%20damage.
Lopes, L. L., Lopes, I. M. R. S., Lopes, L. R. S., Enokihara, M. M.,
Michalany, A. O., & Matsunaga, N. (2015). Mammary and
extramammary Paget's disease. Anais brasileiros de dermatologia, 90,
225-231.
McDaniel, B., Brown, F., & Crane, J. S. (2018). Extramammary Paget
Disease.
Paget's disease of bone - symptoms and treatment - orthoinfo - AAOS.
OrthoInfo. (2021). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/pagets-disease-
of-bone/.
