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Pott’s disease is a spinal condition caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting in back pain, fever, weight loss, and a hunchback. Treatment options include pain relievers, tuberculosis drugs, immobilization, and surgery. Prevention involves controlling the spread of tuberculosis and testing for PPD.
Pott’s disease, also known as Pott’s caries, David’s disease and Pott’s curvature, is a medical condition of the spine. Individuals suffering from this condition typically experience back pain, night sweats, fever, weight loss, and anorexia. They may also develop a spinal mass, which causes tingling, numbness, or a general feeling of weakness in the leg muscles. Often, the pain associated with the disease causes the sufferer to walk in a stiff, upright position.
This condition is caused when the vertebrae become soft and collapse as bone is destroyed, which is typically caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a result, the person often develops kyphosis, a pronounced curvature in the upper back that results in a hunchback. This is often referred to as Pott’s curvature. In some cases, an individual may also develop paralysis, called Pott’s paraplegia, when the spinal nerves are affected by the curvature.
A person with Pott’s disease may have further complications from the curvature. For example, an infection can spread more easily from the paravertebral tissue, causing abscesses to appear. Regardless of the complications that may occur, the disease is usually slow spreading and can last for months or years.
A person who has been diagnosed with this disease may have a variety of treatment options. He or she may use pain relievers and tuberculosis drugs to keep the infection under control. The affected area of the spine may also need to be immobilized, or the person may need to have surgery to drain any abscesses that may have formed or to stabilize the spine.
Because Pott’s disease is caused by a bacterial infection, prevention is possible through proper control. The best method of preventing the disease is to reduce or eliminate the spread of tuberculosis. Additionally, testing for this bacterium is an important preventative measure, as those who test positive for purified protein derivative (PPD) can take medications to prevent the disease from developing. A tuberculin skin test is the most common method used to screen for infection, although blood tests, bone scans, bone biopsies, and x-rays may also be used to confirm the disease.
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