Impact of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Pyogenic Vertebral Osteomyelitis: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective. Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) are frequently misdiagnosed and patients often receive anti-inflammatory drugs for their back pain. We studied the impact of these medications. Methods. We performed a prospective study enrolling patients with PVO and categorized them depending on their drugs intake. Then, we compared diagnosis delay, clinical presentation at hospitalization, incidence of complications, and cure rate. Results. In total, 79 patients were included. Multivariate analysis found no correlation between anti-inflammatory drug intake and diagnosis delay, clinical presentation, complications, or outcome. Conclusion. Anti-inflammatory drugs intake does not affect diagnostic delay, severity at diagnosis, or complications of PVO.