Intro

I. INTRODUCTION

Pott’s disease is a presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis that affects the spine, a kind of tuberculous arthritis of the intervertebral joints. Scientifically, it is called tuberculous spondylitis. Pott’s disease is the most common site of bone infection in TB; hips and knees are also often affected. The lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae are the areas of the spine most often affected.

Pott's disease, which is also known as Pott’s caries, David's disease, and Pott's curvature, is a medical condition of the spine. Individuals suffering from Pott's disease typically experience back pain, night sweats, fever, weight loss, and anorexia. They may also develop a spinal mass, which results in tingling, numbness, or a general feeling of weakness in the leg muscles. Often, the pain associated with Pott's disease causes the sufferer to walk in an upright and stiff position.

Pott’s disease is caused when the vertebrae become soft and collapse as the result of caries or osteitis. Typically, this is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a result, a person with Pott's disease often develops kyphosis, which results in a hunchback. This is often referred to as Pott’s curvature. In some cases, a person with Pott's disease may also develop paralysis, referred to as Pott’s paraplegia, when the spinal nerves become affected by the curvature.

The disease progresses slowly. Signs and symptoms include: back pain, fever, night sweats, anorexia, weight loss, and easy fatigability. Diagnosis is based on: blood tests - elevated ESR , skin tests ,radiographs of the spine , bone scan ,CT of the spine , and bone biopsy. Gibbus formation is the pathognomonic sign of this disease. Gibbus formation refers to a sharply angled curvature of the backbone, resulting from collapse of a vertebra or simply a hunchback.

Approximately 1-2% of total tuberculosis cases are attributable to Pott disease. The incidence rate here in the Philippines is approximately...