Pott’s Disease in Children: a Case Report and Review of Current Practices

Abstract

Spinal tuberculosis, also called Pott’s disease, is a prevalent disease in low- and middle-income countries but can also be seen in Europe. Back pain is the main presenting complaint, and the majority of patients do not experience systemic symptoms. Complications include spinal deformation and medullar compression with associated neurological symptoms. In many cases there is a significant delay between the appearance of symptoms and diagnosis, which may make the outcome worse and underlines the importance of a good understanding of this pathology. Treatment includes tuberculostatic therapy as well as surgery in selected cases. We describe the case of a 15 year old girl presenting with respiratory complaints and spinal tuberculosis, and we review and discuss available knowledge about this important disease.