Tuberculosis (TB) affecting the bones and joints is termed as skeletal tuberculosis. Skeletal TB accounts for about 10-35% of the cases. The most common form of skeletal TB is Pott’s disease which affects the spine and accounts to about half of the cases, then followed by tuberculous arthritis and extraspinal tuberculous osteomyelitis. This article will provide you insights on pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of skeletal TB. During a primary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the bacillemia may lead to the seeding of the organisms in bones or synovial tissue.
Usually, the infection foci are small and are confined by the local immune response. When these local responses fail, reactivation of the infection occurs. Active TB can develop either immediately or after years of latent infection. Rarely, the spread to the bones or joints is contagious from another…
