Symptoms - Paget's disease of bone

Symptoms of Paget's disease of bone include bone or joint pain and problems caused by a nerve being squashed or damaged.

But in many cases, there are no obvious symptoms and the condition is only found during tests carried out for another reason.

1 bone or several bones may be affected. Commonly affected areas include the:

• pelvis
• spine
• skull
• shoulders
• legs

Bone or joint pain

Paget's disease may cause pain in the bone itself and in the joints near the affected bone.

The bone pain is usually:

• dull or aching
• deep within the affected part of the body
• constant
• worse at night

The affected area may also feel warm.

Nerve problems

Abnormal bone growth can result in bone squashing (compressing) or damaging a nearby nerve.

Possible signs of this can include:

• pain travelling from the spine down into your legs (sciatica)
• numbness or tingling in the affected limbs (peripheral neuropathy)
• partial loss of movement in your limbs
• balance problems
• loss of bowel control (bowel incontinence) or loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)

Call 999 or go to A&E if you have partial loss of movement in your limbs or loss of bowel or bladder control.

Other problems

Paget's disease of bone can also cause a range of other problems, including:

• fragile bones that are more likely to break
• osteoarthritis – damage to the joints, causing painful and stiff joints
• deformities in affected bones, such as curved legs (bow legs) or a curved spine (scoliosis)
• hearing loss, headaches, vertigo (a spinning sensation) and tinnitus (hearing noises in your ears) – these may occur if the skull is affected
• heart problems

Read more about the complications of Paget's disease of bone.

When to see a GP

See a GP if you have:

• persistent bone or joint pain
• deformities in any of your bones
• symptoms of a nerve problem, such as numbness, tingling or balance problems

A GP can organise tests to check your bones and look for problems such as Paget's disease of bone.

Read more about how Paget's disease of bone is diagnosed.