Extrapulmonary forms of tuberculosis (TB) are on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa and pose a major public health problem. The spine is the most frequent location of musculoskeletal tuberculosis. Involvement of the spine causes severe back pain and weakness in the lower extremities. We report 11 cases of TB spondylodiscitis, commonly referred to as Pott's disease, who presented to the internal medicine department at the Military Hospital of Gabon (HIA OBO).
This is a case series of eleven patients with Pott's disease, who presented to the Military Hospital of Gabon between March 2015 and October, 2016. The objective of this article is to highlight the clinical and physical findings of patients presenting with tuberculous spondylodiscitis and describe the medical treatments available in our hospital.
We reviewed the charts of eleven patients with spondylodiscitis. The age range was from 23 to 63 years old. 5 patients were male, 6 were female. Data extraction focused on clinical presentation, blood parameters, and diagnostic findings. The duration of the treatment varied from 9 to 12 months depending on severity of the disease.
Bone biopsy remains a critical diagnostic tool to optimize and confirm the diagnosis of Pott's disease and rule out other causes of spondylodiscitis.