Tropical Doctor > Volume 39, Number 2 > Pp. 88-90

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Janmohammadi, N. Articles by Roushan, M. R. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Articles

False negative serological tests may lead to misdiagnosis and mismanagement in osteoarticular brucellosis

Nasser Janmohammadi MD   ^*    Mohammad Reza Hasanjani Roushan MD   

^* Department of Orthopedics, Shahid Behesti Hospital, Babol Medical University, Babol; Department of Infectious Diseases, Yahyanejad Hospital, Babol Medical University, Babol, Iran

Correspondence to: Nasser Janmohammadi, Department of Orthopedics, Shahid Behesti Hospital, Babol Medical University, Babol, Iran Email: dr_janmohammadi{at}yahoo.com

Non-specific clinical presentations and paraclinical findings in osteoarticular brucellosis may mimic many other diseases and other causes of arthritis which could lead to misdiagnosis and mismanagement. We studied retrospectively the records of 232 patients with osteoarticular brucellosis who were admitted to the three teaching hospitals of Babol Medical Sciences University from April 2001 to September 2006. The distribution of osteoarticular involvement and their management were evaluated to determine if any cases had been misdiagnosed because of false negative serologic tests and who had, as a result, undergone inappropriate surgical interventions. Of 232 patients, 138 (59%) were male and 94 (41%) were female. Polyarthritis, monoarthritis, spondylitis and sacroilitis were seen in 91 (39%), 60 (26%), 43 (18.5%) and 38 (16.5%) patients, respectively. Two hundred and twenty-nine (98.7%) patients were diagnosed correctly and treated successfully; three (1.3%) were misdiagnosed and had been given inappropriate surgical interventions. Of these three patients, two (3.3%) were suffering from monoarthritis (hip joint) and one (2.3%) had spondylitis.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?