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.