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Causes of Paget's disease

Like other cells in our bodies, bone cells are constantly dying and being replaced by new ones. With paget’s disease of bone, this process is disrupted. Bone is broken down at a faster rate than normal. In response to the speedy loss of bone cells, the body makes new bone cells very quickly. These are then badly ‘woven’ back into the bone, and as a result, bones are weaker. They are also bigger, because the body has produced more new bone cells than it needs.

The actual cause of paget’s disease of bone is not known. Evidence shows that it might be heredity (run in the family); up to 4 in 10 people with Paget’s disease of bone have a close relative who also develops the disease.

A gene (something which is passed down from your parents to determine your body’s characteristics) has been identified that can make it more likely for you to get the disease. It could also be because the bone is infected with a virus that affects it in some way, but this is a controversial theory, which has been hard to prove.

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