What Is Spinal Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis of the spine, also known as tuberculous spondylitis or Pott's Disease, is a condition in which the vertebrae have become infected with tuberculosis (TB). Briefly defined, TB is an infectious disease caused by a mycobacterium. There are several treatment options for patients once they are diagnosed with Pott's Disease.

Symptoms

• Some of the most common symptoms of Pott's Disease are back pain, fever, night sweats and anorexia, which can lead to a significant, unhealthy weight-loss. The back pain is sometimes so painful that the Often times, patients with the condition will develop a mass in the spine which can cause tingling, numbness or weakness in the legs. There is often muscle weakness or deterioration and back pain will cause the sufferer to sit and walk in a rigid, upright manner.

Causes

• Pott's Disease, like other forms of tuberculosis, is caused by a mycobacterium which is spread by way of blood or breathing droplets from an infected person into your lungs where the bacteria will thrive and grow if not killed by your immune system. Once in your blood stream, tuberculosis can infect a number of organs, each with their own set of symptoms and complications.

Diagnosis

• Tuberculosis causes the disks in the spine to die and break down, which often leads to the narrowing of the vertebra and the eventual collapse of the spine. Radiographs and CT scans of the spine are sometimes able to show tuberculosis of the spine, if present, a bone biopsy will be done for confirmation. A test is often performed to check a patient's Enthrocyte Sedimentation Rate; a high ESR is a sign of Pott's Disease. TB skin tests can also determine if there is a presence of tuberculosis in the body.

Treatment

• Treatment of Pott's Disease can depend on how severe the tuberculosis of the spine has become as well as the condition of the patient's overall health. Non-operational treatment includes draining of the the infected areas, physiotherapy, a high-protein diet and the immobilization of the spine to ensure proper recovery. Operational treatment usually involves the surgical decompression of the spine.

Complications

• If Pott's Disease is left undiagnosed and untreated, or even if treatment was administered and not completely successful, there can be complications including severe kyphosis (a humped back) and paralysis due to the deterioration or crushing of the vertebral nerves.