A retrospective audit of all cases of bone and joint TB registered in the TB office at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) from 1986 to 2002 was conducted with the aim of quantifying the proportion of bone and joint TB. The study period coincides with that of the HIV pandemic.
A total of 37 075 cases were recorded with 599 (1.6%) involving the skeletal system; of the skeletal TB, 90% involved the spine. The absolute numbers of skeletal TB have remained relatively constant, fluctuating between 14 and 58 per year, while the total number of cases has progressively increased from 657 in 1986 to 3469 in 2002.
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