    pott disease or pott's disease is a presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis whereby disease is seen in the spinal vertebrae. extrapulmonary tuberculosis can affect the spine, a kind of tuberculous arthritis of the intervertebral joints. it is named after percivall pott (1714â1788), a british surgeon. the lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae are the areas of the spine most often affected. scientifically, it is called tuberculous spondylitis and it is most commonly localized in the thoracic portion of the spine. pottâs disease results from haematogenous spread of tuberculosis from other sites, often pulmonary. the infection then spreads from two adjacent vertebrae into the adjoining intervertebral disc space. if only one vertebra is affected, the disc is normal, but if two are involved, the disc, which is avascular, cannot receive nutrients and collapses. the disc tissue dies and is broken down by caseation, leading to vertebral narrowing and eventually to vertebral collapse and spinal damage. a dry soft tissue mass often forms and superinfection is rare. ==signs and symptoms== * back pain * fever * night sweating * anorexia * spinal mass, sometimes associated with numbness, paraesthesia, or muscle weakness of the legs * difficulty standing ==diagnosis== * blood tests :â cbc: leukocytosis :â elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate: >100 mm/h * tuberculin skin test :â tuberculin skin test (purified protein derivative [ppd]) results are positive in 84â95% of patients with pott disease who are not infected with hiv. * radiographs of the spine :â radiographic changes associated with pott disease present relatively late. the following are radiographic changes characteristic of spinal tuberculosis on plain radiography: :# lytic destruction of anterior portion of vertebral body :# increased anterior wedging :# collapse of vertebral body :# reactive sclerosis on a progressive lytic process :# enlarged psoas sh
Bacterial_diseases Vertebral_column_disorders