Definition/Description

Pott’s Disease, also known as tuberculosis spondylitis, is a rare infectious disease of the spine which is typically caused by an extraspinal infection. Pott’s Disease is a combination of osteomyelitis and arthritis which involves multiple vertebrae.
The typical site of involvement is the anterior aspect of the vertebral body adjacent to the subchondral plate and occurs most frequently in the lower thoracic vertebrae. A possible effect of this disease is vertebral collapse and when this occurs anteriorly, anterior wedging results, leading to kyphotic deformity of the spine. Other possible effects can include compression fractures, spinal deformities and neurological insults, including paraplegia.

Symptoms

• Severe back pain<
• Restricted Spinal Motion
• Spinal Deformity
• Approximately 10% of Pott's disease cases involve the cervical spine.

Causes

occurs when you contract tuberculosis and it spreads outside of the lungs. Tuberculosis is normally spread from person to person through the air. After you contract tuberculosis, it can travel through the blood from the lungs or lymph nodes into the bones, spine, or joints.

Treatment

For patients who are diagnosed in early phase a medical treatment with appropriate drugs is usually sufficient. This should be accompanied by good nutrition, adequate rest, bracing of the affected spine segment, symptomatic treatment for pain and nutritional supplements. A close watch on patient’s response to drug therapy is necessary by clinical examination, blood tests and imaging to ensure gradual resolution of the patient’s symptoms/ progressive healing of the lesion and to catch any complication caused by medicines/ disease process to treat them early.

Surgery is required when patient has any of the following symptoms

• Signs of severe spinal cord compression
• Progressive worsening of spinal cord compression symptoms during treatment
• Severe pain not responding to medical treatment