Tuberculous arthritis: a case study and review of the literature

Tuberculosis of the bones and joints is a rare but treatable disease. This curable condition is frequently overlooked in the differential diagnosis, and often serious cases are not diagnosed until after severe joint destruction has already taken place. The literature on tuberculosis of the bones and joints is reviewed and the incidence, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition are discussed. A case history of ankle joint involvement is presented in which antibiotic treatment before clinically significant joint destruction had occurred might have prevented surgery. Tuberculous involvement should thus be considered in any patient with chronic and subacute monoarticular arthritis.