Delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis presenting as small joint arthritis--a case report

Small joint arthritis is an uncommon manifestation of tuberculosis. We report a case of tuberculosis presenting as arthritis of the midtarsal joints with concomitant spinal involvement. This case illustrates the difficulties in diagnosing tuberculous arthritis as it has an insidious onset, paucity of constitutional symptoms, unremarkable early physical findings and frequent absence of associated pulmonary involvement. A high index of suspicion in high-risk individuals with chronic monoarthritis, is required to avoid delayed diagnosis.