Bone Tuberculosis Symptoms


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Home \| Health Conditions Bone Tuberculosis Symptoms By: Aneesh Natarajan Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although this disease most commonly infects the pulmonary system (the lungs), about 10 to 20 percent of all diagnosed cases of tuberculosis infect the bones. Bone tuberculosis can occur at any age and can infect any bone within the body. Symptoms of bone tuberculosis are often vague, making diagnosis difficult. Before tuberculosis infection spreads from the lungs to the bones or other parts of the body, an infected person experience systemic symptoms. A fever is a common symptom of the body’s immune system responding to the tuberculosis-causing bacteria. An active case of tuberculosis experiences a low-grade fever, night chills and fatigue. Unexplained weight loss and lack of appetite are also symptoms of tuberculosis. About 35 percent of all cases of tuberculosis that spreads to other parts of the body involve the bone and joint. An Overview published in the 2005 issue of American Family Physician, point out that the spine is most commonly involved. The infection begins in the vertebrae, causing destruction of inter vertebral discs, which are found between all but the first two vertebrae in the spine. They act to cushion each vertebrae and hold the vertebrae in alignment. Patients complain of localized pain in the areas affected by tuberculosis. Tuberculosis involving the knees and hips causes slow movement with pain, joint swelling and limited range of motion. Treatment Like most cases of tuberculosis, the main treatment for Pott disease is cocktail of powerful antibiotics that kill the tuberculosis bacteria. Chemical regimens should last from six to nine months or longer depending on how the patient reacts to the drugs. Tuberculosis bacteria are very good at adapting to drugs, so failing to follow the prescription exactly can cause drugs to become less effective in the future. In addition, patients may be given painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs to counteract any swelling of the spine that the disease causes. In some cases surgery may be necessary to stabilize the spine or drain any spinal abscesses that form. external spinal braces were used to stabilize the spine, but the effectiveness of these measures is unclear. In advanced cases, in which the spine has begun to collapse, it may be necessary to insert a rod to immobilize the spine. Bone tuberculosis infections that develop in other parts of the body (which are rarer) are treated in much the same way. Health Article Source: www.healthandwellnesscentral.com Aneesh Natarajan is an expert author of health and wellness articles. To see more health and wellness articles please visit his Health and Wellness Article site. You can reprint this articles with the author's resource box with the links intact. Please Rate this Article Not yet Rated Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Health Conditions Articles Via RSS! Additional Articles From - Home \| Health Conditions Indigestion Symptoms My Views - By : Joe Smith Curing Leaky Gut Syndrome May Not Be Difficult - By : Luke C Wright	Sign Up free or Learn More Home Member Login Submit Articles Top Authors Most Popular Articles Submission Guidelines Ezine Notifications Article RSS Feeds Bookmark This Site! Hair Loss Specialists is a leading source of information for healthy ways to get hair transplantion, from Seattle to Florida!