Multifocal skeletal tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient: a case report

BACKGROUND The occurrence of multifocal skeletal involvement in immunocompetent patients is rare, even in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. Multifocal skeletal lesions may occur as a result of hematogenous dissemination from another primary focus such as cervical lymph nodes, lungs, tonsils or gastrointestinal tract. CASE PRESENTATION We present a 59 year-old man with a history of intermittent and disabling pain in his left knee for 2 years. The patient in this case presented with lung infection with bilateral skeletal dissemination in the knees and femurs. Immunological examination for the HIV was negative. CONCLUSIONS Diagnosis of this condition is not always easy because of the disease's insidious character, and it can be confused with other diseases such as osteoarthritis, especially in middle-aged individuals.