Paget's disease of bone in South African Blacks.

Although Padget's disease of bone is considered to be an extremely rare condition in people on non-Caucasian extraction, we have encountered 9 cases among South African Blacks. The features of Paget's disease in our patients correspond in every way with the typical features seen in Whites with advanced Paget's disease. All 9 patients were considered to be racially pure South African Blacks by virtue of physical appearance, family history and gene marker studies. The striking racial distribution of this condition would tend to indicate a genetic predisposition rather than environmental factors as the cause of this condition.