Paget’s Disease of Bone

Because Paget’s disease of the bone often has no symptoms or very mild symptoms, it’s often diagnosed by chance (incidentally) after healthcare providers perform an X-ray or blood test to for another reason. Providers often use X-rays to make the final diagnosis of Paget’s disease of the bone.

What tests will be done to diagnose Paget’s disease of the bone (osteitis deformans)?

The following tests help to diagnose Paget’s disease of the bone:

• Alkaline phosphatase blood test: A high level of alkaline phosphatase in your blood could be a sign that you have Paget’s disease of the bone. Sometimes this blood test is what first alerts healthcare providers that someone could have Paget’s disease.
• X-rays: With X-ray images, healthcare providers can see if you have bones affected by Paget’s disease. The affected bones look different in the images than unaffected bones.
• Bone scan: Providers sometimes use bone scans to see which bone(s) are affected by Paget’s disease and how mild or severe it is. During a bone scan, a safe amount of radioactive liquid is injected into your vein. The liquid then flows through your bloodstream and into your bones and makes areas of the bone affected by Paget’s disease appear “bright” on the images your bones.