Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that primarily affects the lungs but can spread to other parts of the body. This potentially fatal disease is caused by the bacterial microorganism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis spreads by droplet infection, which is the transmission of the bacteria through an infected person's exhaled breath, sneeze or cough. Recognizing the symptoms of bone tuberculosis leads to prompt diagnosis and proper medical treatment. According to the Free Dictionary, untreated tuberculosis that spreads to the bones can result in paralysis.
Fever and Weight Loss
Before tuberculosis infection spreads from the lungs to the bones or other parts of the body, an infected person experiences systemic symptoms. A fever is a common symptom of the body's immune system responding to the tuberculosis-causing bacteria. A person with an active case of tuberculosis experiences a low-grade fever, night chills and fatigue. Unexplained weight loss and lack of appetite are also symptoms of tuberculosis.
Localized Pain
About 35 percent of all cases of tuberculosis that spreads to other parts of the body involve the bones and joints. Drs. Marjorie P. Golden and Holenarasipur R. Vikram, coauthors of an article entitled Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: An Overview published in the 2005 issue of American Family Physician, point out that the spine is most commonly involved. The infection begins in the vertebrae, causing destruction of intervertebral discs, which are found between all but the first two vertebrae in the spine. They act to cushion each vertebrae and hold the vertebrae in alignment. Patients complain of localized pain in the areas affected by tuberculosis. Tuberculosis involving the knees and hips causes slow movement with pain, joint swelling and limited range of motion.
Paravertebral Abscess
In rare cases, abscesses develop in between the vertebrae when tuberculosis spreads to the spine. Untreated tuberculosis that spreads to the spine can lead to Pott's kyphotic deformity, an exaggerated forward curvature of the upper back or hunchback posture. The progressive bone destruction leads to collapse of the vertebrate. An abscess forms when the infection spreads to surrounding ligaments and soft tissue.
Pott's Disease
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine states that 5 percent of patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis---tuberculosis in parts of the body other than the lungs---develop Pott's disease. Potts disease refers to tuberculosis specifically of the spine but also of the knees and hips. The symptoms include the systemic signs of tuberculosis, localized back pain and paravertebral swelling. The distinctive Pott's kyphotic deformity is a hallmark of the disease.
