title: Guidelines for diagnosis and management of Paget's disease of bone in Japan.
abstract: We here propose guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Paget's disease of bone (PDB) in Japan. These guidelines provide basic information on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis, indications for treatment, and available therapy, including orthopedic surgery. PDB is a chronic disorder characterized by focal abnormalities of bone turnover. The characteristic feature of PDB is excessive osteoclastic bone resorption coupled to increased and disorganized bone formation. The most common symptom of PDB is pain in involved bones. The most serious complication of PDB is malignant bone or soft-tissue tumor. PDB is uncommon in Japan; our survey in 2003 found 169 patients with PDB. The prevalence of PDB in Japan is 0.15/100 000; in patients aged 55 years or more, the proportion reaches 0.41/100 000. A careful medical history and physical examination are essential for the diagnosis. The diagnosis of PDB is based on finding the typical features on radiographs. Bone scintigraphy and measurement of serum alkaline phosphatase are sensitive means of screening for PDB. Since PDB is a rare disease in Japan, bone biopsy is quite often used to exclude bone metastases. The only evidence-based indication for treatment of PDB is pain in involved bones. In Japan, etidronate and calcitonin are approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for treating PDB, but currently risedronate is also under development for treating PDB in Japan. Indications for surgical intervention in PDB include unstable fractures, osteoarthritis, malignant soft-tissue tumor, osteosarcoma, and bone deformity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan. stakata@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shinjiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakatsuka
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Kousei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoh
authors.forename: Ikko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yabe
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zamma
authors.forename: Stuart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ralston
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morii
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D010001:Osteitis Deformans / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging