NEW YORK, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Paget Foundation announces its endorsement of Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General issued on October 14th by Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D. This report marks the first report by the Surgeon General on the topic of bone health and diseases, including Paget’s disease, the second most prevalent bone disease after osteoporosis.
“The Surgeon General’s report provides important information about the causes, clinical features and treatment of Paget’s disease that support and amplify the messages that the Paget Foundation has been sending for many years,” said Dr. Ethel S. Siris, M.D., Madeline C. Stabile Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University. “Paget’s disease education is critical to raising overall physician awareness and diagnosis and to arming patients with reliable information so they can ask the right questions and get the right treatment.”
More than one million Americans are known to suffer from Paget’s disease of the bone, a chronic, treatable disease in which bone cells malfunction, resulting in bone pain, osteoarthritis, deformities and fractures. Paget’s disease is commonly diagnosed by an x-ray examination, serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) test, or bone scan. Bisphosphonates are the preferred method of treatment.
According to the report, many patients are not properly diagnosed. Additionally, the report states that all bone diseases, including Paget’s disease, remain a major public health problem in the United States. To ensure the best possible outcome, early identification of diseases, such as Paget’s disease, is critical.
“We congratulate the Surgeon General for releasing this comprehensive report and validating our mission to raise awareness of Paget’s disease and other bone diseases,” said Charlene Waldman, executive director of the Paget Foundation. “This report confirms the need for additional educational outreach for patients and health professionals on Paget’s disease and other bone diseases.”
The Surgeon General’s Report is available online at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ or by calling 866-718-BONE.
The Paget Foundation For Paget’s Disease of Bone and Related Disorders
Founded in 1978, the Paget Foundation is a national voluntary health agency that provides information on Paget’s disease of bone and other bone disorders to patients, family members and health professionals. The foundation also addresses primary hyperparathyroidism, fibrous dysplasia, osteopetrosis, and the effects of certain cancers on the skeleton.
For more information on Paget’s disease or other disorders that the Paget Foundation addresses, please contact the Paget Foundation at http://www.paget.org/ or call toll free at 800-23-PAGET.
The Paget Foundation
CONTACT: Charlene Waldman of The Paget Foundation, +1-212-509-5335, orCharleneWaldman@aol.com