Tuberculosis of the Backbone
Pott’s Disease
21CHAPTER
165
Tuberculosis (TB) of the
backbone is not common, but is
still seen in poor communities,
especially in children. It is
the most common form of
tuberculosis of the bone.
It is important to recognize and
treat it early, before damage to the
backbone causes nerve damage
and paralysis.
If a child begins to develop a
sharp bend in the middle section of
the backbone, with shortening
and thickening of the chest, it is
probably tuberculosis of the spine.
You can almost be sure it is, if
someone in the family has TB of
the lungs.
As the spine collapses forward,
the child may have to hold
himself up using his arms.
Seek medical help quickly. Skin
test, X-rays (of the chest and spine),
and microscope examination of
pus from abscesses (pockets of
pus) may help in the diagnosis.
If the X-ray shows typical bone
destruction, the child should be
treated for tuberculosis even if no
TB germs are found.
SIGNS
• It begins little by little—often
without pain at first.
• A bump develops in the backbone.
This is because the front part of one
or more vertebrae is destroyed and
collapses.
vertebrae
(bones of
the spine)
• The child has trouble bending over
to pick things up.
• An abscess full of pus may form near
the lump in the spine. It may open
lower on the body and drain pus.
• As the condition gets worse, back
pain may begin.
• Signs of spinal cord injury may
develop: pain, numbness, weakness
or paralysis in feet and legs, and
loss of urine and bowel control. (See
“Spinal Cord Injury,” p. 175.)
• TB skin test is usually positive.
(However, the skin test is of use
only if the child has not been
vaccinated against TB.)
• Often someone in the home has TB.
• Only half of children with TB of the
spine also have TB of the lungs.