Its founder was the late Mrs Ann Stansfield MBE, whose husband suffered with Paget's Disease for 27 years. Mrs Stansfield had difficulty in finding understanding and interest in, or treatment for, her husband's condition. Although retired herself, she worked tirelessly for many years to raise awareness of the condition, spending many hours writing to universities, hospitals and government departments at home and abroad. Her determination and tireless fundraising enabled many research projects to be undertaken into the causes of the disease, as a result, there is a much better understanding of it. Paget's Disease of Bone is a metabolic bone disorder of unknown origin which normally affects older people.
Bone is a living tissue and is constantly being renewed.
Paget's disease of bone causes an increased and irregular formation of bone as the bone cells, which are responsible for dissolving the body's old bone and replacing it with new, become out of control. Over a period of time the deformed new bone becomes larger, weaker and has more blood vessels than normal bone. Unlike normal bone, the structure is irregular and consequently weaker, which makes it prone to fracture even after a minor injury. In its mildest form the disease has no symptoms. In more severe cases the pain can be intense.