Pott's Disease


	ICD10	A1801, M490
	ICD9

Pott's disease is a presentation of extrapulmonary Tuberculosis that affects the Spine , a kind of tuberculous Arthritis of the intervertebral joints. More precisely it is called '''tuberculous Spondyloarthropathy ''' and the original name was formed after Percivall Pott (1714-1788), a London surgeon. It is most commonly localized in the Thoracic portion of the spine. The fictional Hunchback Of Notre Dame had a gibbous deformity ( Humpback ) that is thought to have been caused by tuberculosis.

Signs and symptoms

Back Pain

Fever

night Sweating

Anorexia

Weight Loss

Spinal mass, sometimes associated with Numbness , Tingling , or Muscle Weakness of the legs

Diagnosis

Blood Test s - elevated Blood Sedimentation Rate

Tuberculin Skin Test

Radiograph s of the spine

Bone Scan

CT of the spine

Bone Biopsy

Late complications

Vertebral collapse resulting in Kyphosis

Spinal Cord Compression

Sinus formation

Paraplegia (so called Pott's paraplegia)

Therapy

non-operative - Antituberculous Drugs

Analgesic s

immobilization of the spine region

Surgery may be necessary, especially to drain spinal Abscess es or to stabilize the spine

Prevention

Controlling the spread of tuberculosis infection can prevent tuberculous spondylitis and arthritis. Patients who have a positive PPD test (but not active tuberculosis) may decrease their risk by properly taking medicines to prevent tuberculosis. To effectively treat tuberculosis, it is crucial that patients take their medications exactly as prescribed.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Pott Disease Tuberculous Spondylitis - from eMedicine - medical article with MRI picture

Tuberculous arthritis . MedlinePlus. Public domain text from the US Government.

Information About

Pott's Disease