Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2014 , Vol 17, Issue 4
PARAPLEGIA IN AN ELDERLY PATIENT DUE TO POTT’S DISEASE
Bahri TEKER1, Mehmet AĞIRMAN2, Tuğrul ÖRMECİ3, Mehmet TEZER4, Ali MERT5, Engin ÇAKAR2
1Nisa Hospital, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology ISTANBUL
2Istanbul Medipol University, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ISTANBUL
3Istanbul Medipol University, Radiology ISTANBUL
4Istanbul Medipol University, Orthopedics and Traumatology ISTANBUL
5Istanbul Medipol University, Internal Medicine ISTANBUL
Spinal tuberculosis (Pott’s disease) is still an important problem in many countries and may result in severe neurological deficits. Pott’s paraplegia can occur in the early period of the disease or many years later. Pott’s disease usually occurs in the thoracic vertebrae and may cause neurological symptoms as a consequence of bone destruction and spinal cord compression. In this article, we present the case of a 73-year-old diagnosed with Pott’s paraplegia who was referred to our clinic with back pain. He had been previously diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and had received anti-TB therapy. After five weeks of an intensive rehabilitation program, the patient could walk independently and was discharged with minimal dependency. We conclude that there should be more awareness of the possibility of non-traumatic spinal cord injuries in elderly patients. Keywords : Paraplegia; Tuberculosis, Spinal; Rehabilitation; Aged