Clinical Presentation of Pott?s disease of the Spine in Adult Sudanese Patients

Abstract

ResultsIn this study, hundred patients with Pott's disease of the spine were recruited. 60 patients (60%) were females and 40 patients (40%) were males. The majority of the patients fall in the age group 45-54 years, which constituted 25 cases (25%) of the study group, followed by the age group 15-24 years, 22 cases (22%). The groups 65-74, 35-44 and 25-34 constitute 20 cases (20%), 18 cases (18%) and 15 cases (15%) respectively (Table 1). The mean age of presentation in our study was 41 years. In 36 patients (36%), Pott's disease was found in association with pulmonary tuberculosis. The main complaint in the whole study group was backache and lower limb weakness. The course of the disease was progressive. In 92 patients (92%), the onset was gradual. 87 patients (87%) said that they had experienced weight loss, where 74 patients (74%) had mild fever. 76% of patients presented with neurological deficits. Lower limb anaesthesia was seen in 72 patients (72%) and numbness in 70 patients (70%) of the whole group. 46 patients (46%) presented with weakness of the trunk, whereas 44 patients (44%) AbstractTuberculosis (TB) of the spine (Pott's disease) is the commonest and most dangerous form of skeletal TB. Delay in establishing diagnosis and management can cause spinal cord compression and spinal deformity resulting in serious neurological deficit and bad prognosis. This was a prospective hospital-based study investigating the data on hundred cases of Pott's disease presented to Khartoum Teaching Hospital during the period from 2008 to 2010. 60 patients were females and 40 were males. The mean age of our patients was ± 41. The course of the disease was progressive and of gradual onset in the majority of the cases. 76% of our study group was presented with neurological deficits ranging from lower limb anesthesia, numbness, trunk weakness, root pain, muscle pain and flexion spasm.

Upper thoracic tuberculous spondylitis

“…Tuberculosis of spine usually presents with 3 common signs/symptoms: systemic toxemia, osseous lesion and neurological involvement. 4 In our patient, we observed systemic toxemias, for example, fever, anorexia, weight loss and osseous lesion like chest pain. Gibbus was present.…”

“…Tuberculosis of the spine affects mainly mid and lower thoracic (67.0%) T5 to T8, upper thoracic (17.2%) T1 to T4, lumber (10.4%) and cervical (3.5%) spine. 4 Infection gradually involves the anterior aspect of the intervertebral joints, spread behind the anterior longitudinal ligament to involve the adjacent vertebra and intervertebral disc. Eventually overlying disc dies as a result narrowing and subsequent vertebral collapse.…”

Analysis of rs1048943 in the CYP1A1 gene in laryngeal cancer - a case control study

“…Laryngeal cancer is one of the most predominant cancers of the upper respiratory tract 18 . It is rare in individuals under 60 years of age with three quarters of all diagnoses occurring in people over 60 19 . In the current study, the mean age of the Worldwide, laryngeal cancer occurs more commonly in men than in women 21,22 .…”

Koch’s spine prevalence and its management modalities: A prospective study of 25 cases

“…This delay may be because of the chronicity of the disease, socio-economic factors, ignorance and missed early diagnosis. Ahmed et al [4] reported average four months lapse between onset of symptoms and diagnosis but sometimes it can be longer than this [5] . Constitutional symptoms were present in about 76% patients.…”