Epidemiological and Clinical Survey of Patients with Spondylitis

Spondylitis is infection of the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs. Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Brucella, and Pyogenic bacteria are among the major causes of this disease. There are reports on the epidemiology of this disease in Mazandaran, northern Iran. Evidence suggests differences between different types of spondylitis, but there is paucity of information on the differences between all types of spondylitis, especially Pyogenic spondylitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical epidemiology of spondylitis in the region to make early diagnosis and appropriate treatments.

A descriptive study was done using the records of patients with spondylitis in Qaemshahr Razi Hospital, 2013-2017. Information including epidemiologic and demographic characteristics, main complaints and clinical symptoms, disease complications, radiological findings, and laboratory findings were extracted. Data were analyzed in SPSS V24.

The records of 39 patients (19 males and 20 females) were reviewed. Among the patients Brucellar spondylitis, tuberculous spondylitis, and pyogenic spondylitis were identified in 35.9%, 38.5%, and 25.6%.

In current study, the rate of spondylitis was higher than that in other studies, which may be due to higher rates of tuberculosis in Mazandaran. Thoracic involvement was found to be more common in tuberculosis while Brucella and pyogenic spondylitis involved lumbar vertebrae. These findings could be of great help in distinguishing between the three conditions.