Pott's disease

Pott's disease is a presentation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis that affects the spine, a kind of tuberculous arthritis of the intervertebral joints. More precisely it is called tuberculous spondyloarthropathy and the original name was formed after Percivall Pott (1714-1788), a London surgeon. It is most commonly localized in the thoracic portion of the spine. The fictional Hunchback of Notre Dame had a gibbous deformity (humpback) that is thought to have been caused by tuberculosis.

Signs and symptoms

• back pain
• fever
• night sweating
• anorexia
• weight loss
• Spinal mass, sometimes associated with numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness of the legs