clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The clinical features of tuberculous arthritis include:
- pain, often at night
- swelling due to synovial thickening
- muscle wasting
- limited movement in all directions
- the joint may become fixed and deformed due to articular erosion
- a cold abscess may form and point to the skin surface forming a chronic tuberculous sinus; the sinus provides a route of entry for secondary pyogenic infection
- a positive Mantoux test and positive histology and culture from a synovial biopsy confirm the diagnosis