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By Mayo Clinic staffIn most cases, Paget's disease of bone progresses slowly. The disease can be managed effectively in nearly all people and is rarely fatal. Possible complications include:
- Osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint disease is a common long-term complication of Paget's disease.
- Heart failure. Unusually extensive Paget's disease may force your heart to work harder to pump blood to the affected areas of your body. In people with pre-existing heart disease, this increased workload can lead to heart failure.
- Sarcoma. A rare complication is a bone cancer known as sarcoma, also called osteosarcoma or osteogenic sarcoma, which may develop in bones affected by Paget's disease. This complication occurs in less than 1 percent of people with Paget's disease and usually doesn't develop until many years after the onset of Paget's.
If the disease affects bones in your head, you may experience hearing loss, loss of teeth and, rarely, loss of vision.