Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health problem worldwide including Brunei Darussalam. Osteoarticular involvement is common. The purpose of this study was to review the demographics, clinical features and treatment outcome of patients with osteoarticular tuberculosis (OATB) in Brunei Darussalam. Material and Methods: Patients receiving treatment for OATB between 2003 and 2008 were identified from the National Tuberculosis Coordinating Centre (NTCC) registry. Data was recorded on pre-designed proforma. Results: Twenty-one patients (10 male: 11 female) were identified with a mean age of 49 years (range 19 to 75). Nineteen were Bruneian citizens. The most common presenting symptoms were pain at affected site (n = 15), focal neurological deficit and loss of appetite (n = 7). Two patients gave a positive family history of TB and three had radiological evidence of pulmonary TB. Radiograph of the involved part was positive in nine cases while advanced imaging studies (computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging) were required in 15 instances. The results of positive confirmatory tests were obtained from: smear (n = 10), culture (n = 3) and biopsy (n = 8). In five cases treatment had to be started without any of the confirmatory tests. The spine was the most common site of involvement (n = 12) with five non-spinal and four cases with combined lesions. Surgical intervention was required in six cases. All patients completed the treatment successfully. Conclusions: OATB is not uncommon in Brunei Darussalam and can present diagnostic problems. A high index of suspicion, early confirmation of diagnosis and complete monitored treatment is necessary for successful management of these cases.
Epidemiology ; Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular ; Tuberculosis

In this study, 47 cases of tuberculous osteitis treated at Severance Hospital from March 1968 to February 1978 were analysed clinically and the following results were obtained.: 1) The sexual incidence was 23 ma1e and 24 female patients. 2) There were 18 cases in the pediatric group and 29 cases in the adult group. 3) The most frequent site was rib (36%), followed by the trochanter of femur (21%) and the proximal portion of humerus (15%). 4) Thirty-seven percent of the cases showed some form of pulmonary tuberculous infiltration. 5) Erythrocyte sedimention rate was increased in 33 cases (70%). 6) The condition was managed medically with triple antituberculosis drugs and surgically with curettage, curettage with bone graft, and partial resection of ribs, etc.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Age ; Osteitis/epidemiology* ; Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular/epidemiology*

Since the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPT) is largely depended on the physician's suspicion in respect of the disease, we believed that it would be worthwhile to scrutinize the clinical characteristics of EPT. Thus, here we present retrospectively evaluated clinical manifestations of patients who were diagnosed as EPT cases in a tertiary referral care hospital. Medical records of 312 patients, diagnosed as having EPT at Yongdong Severance hospital from January 1997 to December 1999, were reviewed retrospectively. In total 312 patients, 149 (47.8%) males and 163 (52.2%) females aged from 13 years to 87 years, were included into this study. The most common site of the involvement was pleura (35.6%). The patients complained of localized symptoms (72.4%) more frequently than systemic symptoms (52.2%). The most common symptom was pain at the infected site (48.1%). Leukocytosis, anemia, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were found in 12.8%, 50.3%, 79.3% and 63.1% of the patients, respectively. Twenty-four percent of the patients had underlying medical illnesses such as, diabetes mellitus or liver cirrhosis, or were over 60 years old. In 67.3% of patients, tuberculosis was suspected at the initial visit. However, tuberculosis was microbiologically proven in only 23.7% of the patients. The time interval from the symptom onset to the diagnosis varied, with the mean duration of the period 96 days. Pulmonary parenchymal abnormal lesions were found in 133 patients (42.6%) on chest radiographs. EPT has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, so it is difficult to diagnose it. Based on our studies, only 11.2% of the patients were confirmed as EPT. So it is important that the physician who first examines the patient should have a high degree of suspicion based on the chest radiography, localized or systemic symptoms and several laboratory parameters reviewed in this study.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Female ; Human ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis/*epidemiology/*pathology/radiography ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node/epidemiology/pathology/radiography ; Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular/epidemiology/pathology/radiography ; Tuberculosis, Pleural/epidemiology/pathology/radiography ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology/pathology/radiography