Bone and joint tuberculosis

Abstract

Bone and joint tuberculosis was endemic in Europe and The United States throughout the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The introduction of Streptomycin in 1950 marked the beginning of the rapid decline in incidence of skeletal tuberculosis. Although now rare, the disease is far from eradicated, even in developed countries. Tubercule bacilli often lodge in the metaphyses or epiphyses of long bones and frequently involve the adjacent joint. The spine is the common site of skeletal tuberculosis, accounting for 50 percent of the cases.