Epidemiology, impact, management, and cost of Paget's disease of bone in France.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the epidemiology, quality-of-life (QoL) impact, management, and cost of Paget's disease of bone.


METHODS
Retrospective and prospective data were collected in a representative cross-section of office-based and hospital-based rheumatologists in France, in early 2005. Each rheumatologist included consecutive outpatients with Paget's disease seen over a 2-month period. For each patient, a medical questionnaire and the 36-item Short-Form self-questionnaire (SF-36) evaluating health-related quality of life were completed. A descriptive analysis of the patient population was conducted. Medical costs over the last 12 months were estimated.


RESULTS
Four hundred and forty-six medical questionnaires and 387 SF-36 questionnaires were available. Mean age was 74 years, and 58.3% of patients were male. The diagnosis was fortuitous (usually radiological) in 39.2% of cases. Complications occurred in 40% of cases; 97.8% of complications involved the joints. Bisphosphonate therapy was used in nearly 84% of patients. The SF-36 scores were significantly decreased compared to the general population, in both males and females. Total cost of management was less than one-third the cost of managing type 2 diabetes mellitus.


CONCLUSIONS
The results confirm the well-established characteristics of Paget's disease. Bisphosphonate therapy was widely used. Quality of life was significantly altered. The cost of management was moderate.
Saraux
Alain
A
Rheumatology Department, La Cavale Blanche Teaching Hospital, Brest, France.
Brun-Strang
Catherine
C
Mimaud
Viviane
V
Vigneron
Anne-Marie
AM
Lafuma
Antoine
A
D000368:Aged; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010001:Osteitis Deformans / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates