Paget's disease facts for kids

Paget's disease is a name used for several different diseases. They were all first described by a famous doctor named Sir James Paget. It's a bit confusing because they are not related to each other, but they share his name!

What is Paget's Disease?

Paget's disease is not just one illness. It's a group of conditions named after Sir James Paget. He was a British surgeon and pathologist who lived in the 1800s. He was the first to describe these different health problems.

Paget's Disease of the Bone

This is the most common type of Paget's disease. It affects your bones. Normally, your bones are always being broken down and rebuilt in a healthy way. But with Paget's disease of the bone, this process goes wrong.

New bone grows too quickly and is often weaker than normal bone. This can make bones thicker, larger, and sometimes misshapen. It can happen in just one bone or many bones. It often affects the spine, pelvis, skull, or legs.

Paget's Disease of the Breast

This is a very rare type of breast cancer. It affects the skin of the nipple and the dark area around it (the areola). It might look like a skin rash at first. Because it's a form of cancer, it's important for doctors to check it out.

Other Types of Paget's Disease

There are a couple of other conditions that also carry the name Paget:

• Paget-von-Schroetter syndrome: This is a type of thrombosis. Thrombosis means a blood clot forms inside a blood vessel. This specific syndrome usually involves a blood clot in a vein in the arm.
• Extramammary Paget's disease: This is a rare skin condition. It's similar to Paget's disease of the breast but appears on other parts of the body. It often shows up in areas with sweat glands, like the groin or armpits.