Bone and joint tuberculosis in Denmark

Abstract

Epidemiologic data on 100 patients with bone and joint tuberculosis reported in Denmark from 1980 to 1984 are presented. The annual incidence of skeletal tuberculosis remained unchanged during the period, although most other forms of tuberculosis showed a decreasing trend. Eighteen per cent of all the cases of bone and joint tuberculosis were found among young first generation immigrants, notably from Asia. In the native Danish population, bone and joint tuberculosis was almost exclusively found among the elderly. The lesions were most common in the spine and hip. Thirty per cent of the patients had a previous history of pulmonary tuberculosis.