Epidemiological, clinical and paraclinical aspects of Pott's disease at Brazzaville University Hospital

Objective: Describe the epidemiological, clinical and paraclinical aspects of Pott's disease at the University Hospital Center of Brazzaville.
Patients and methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study with retrospective collection carried out in the Rheumatology department of Brazzaville University Hospital from January 1, 2013 to June 31, 2017, i.e. 4 years and 6 months. The diagnosis of Pott's disease was based on anamnestic, clinical and paraclinical arguments.
Results: The hospital frequency of Pott's disease was 6.4%. Men predominated (56.4%) with a sex ratio of 1.3. The average age was 46 +/- 16 years (range: 20-80 years). The average time to diagnosis was 6.6 ± 5 months (range: 1-26 months). Alcoholism was the most common cause in 56 cases (50.9%). Spinal syndrome was present in 109 cases (99.1%). All patients had a standard spine x-ray performed. Computed tomography was performed in 28 patients (25.5%), magnetic resonance imaging in 23 patients (20.9%). The most common morphological aspect was spondylodiscitis in 76 cases (69.1%) associating disc pinching (60%), erosion (40%), and demineralization (19.1%). Atypical forms were found in 34 cases (30.9%), dominated by the appearance of spondylitis in 21 cases (61.8%).
Conclusion: Pott's disease is a common pathology in developing countries, spondylodiscitis remains the most common morphological form.