The National Osteoporosis Foundation Announces Formation of the Paget Disease Initiative

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the nation's leading healthcare organization dedicated to bone health, announced today that the Paget Foundation has merged with NOF. NOF has established the Paget Disease Initiative, which will be the premier resource for information on Paget's disease of the bone, the second most prevalent bone disease following osteoporosis.

Paget's disease is a chronic disorder that typically results in enlarged and deformed bones in one or more regions of the skeleton. Excessive bone breakdown and formation can cause the bones to weaken, leading to bone pain, arthritis, noticeable deformities and fractures. Similar to osteoporosis, many patients may not realize they have Paget's disease until serious complications have developed.

"Merging the Paget Foundation with NOF brings together two leading national nonprofit organizations with complementary missions," said Amy Porter, Executive Director and CEO, National Osteoporosis Foundation. "As a unified organization, we'll work to bring attention to the importance of good bone health at every age with the goal of sparing millions of Americans from the pain and suffering associated with bone disease."

As part of the merger, NOF will offer online resources on Paget's disease and other bone-related conditions and an up-to-date directory of Paget's disease specialists. In addition, two members of the Paget Foundation board have joined NOF's Board of Trustees. The NOF Board has created a Paget's disease committee to keep abreast on the latest issues and developments with the disease.

NOF recently elected the following members of the Paget Foundation board to its Board of Trustees: Kenneth Ward Lyles, MD, Professor of Medicine and Senior Fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke University and VA Medical Center and a Geriatric Medicine and Metabolic Bone Diseases Specialist for Duke Health and Frederick R. Singer, MD, Director of the Endocrine/Bone Disease Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles.

"Merging with NOF is an exciting opportunity to reduce the impact of bone disease," said Dr. Frederick R. Singer, past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Paget Foundation and past president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. "We are confident the merged organization can bring additional attention to the importance of diagnosis and treatment to lessen the painful symptoms of osteoporosis and Paget's disease, ultimately preventing fractures before they occur."

About the National Osteoporosis Foundation 

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation's leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life and reducing human suffering through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research. For more information on the National Osteoporosis Foundation, visit www.nof.org.

About the Paget Foundation 

The Paget Foundation, a national voluntary health agency founded in 1978, is the premier resource for information on Paget's disease of bone. Paget's disease is the second most prevalent bone disease after osteoporosis.

Contact: Claire Gill 
(703) 647-3025
[email protected]

SOURCE National Osteoporosis Foundation