Pott Disease

Pott disease, also called tuberculous spondylitis or tuberculosis of the spine, disease caused by infection of the spinal column, or vertebral column, by the tuberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Pott disease is characterized by softening and collapse of the vertebrae, often resulting in a hunchback curvature of the spine. The condition is named after an English surgeon, Sir Percivall Pott, who described it in a monograph published in 1779. The infection begins in the body of the vertebra (the most common site of bone tuberculosis) and spreads slowly to contiguous structures. Abscesses may form and drain into soft tissues adjacent to the spine, causing pain in sites distant from the infection. Occasionally the spinal nerves are affected, and paralysis may result. Affected persons complain of pain on movement and tend to assume a protective, stiff position. The course of the disease is slow, lasting months or years. Treatment includes chemotherapy against the M. tuberculosis bacillus and orthopedic care of the spinal column. Modern treatment has made Pott disease rare in developed countries, but in less-developed countries it still accounts for up to 2 percent of all tuberculosis cases and particularly affects children.