Osteoarticular Complications of Brucellosis: A Study of 169 Cases

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Abstract
Of 452 patients with brucellosis, 169 (111 male and 58 female) had osteoarticular complications. Brucella melitensis was isolated from the blood in 7.7% of the cases. Fever,chills, arthralgia, backache, high levels of C-reactive protein, positive rheumatoid factor, and splenomegaly were more frequent in osteoarticular brucellosis than in nonosteoarticular disease. Arthritis occurred in the hip joint in 90 cases (53%), knees in 61(36%), sacroiliacs in 33 (20%), ankles in 25 (15%), elbows in nine (5.3%), shoulders in eight (5%), wrists in six (3.5%), and sternoclavicular arthritis occurred in three cases (1.8%). Spondylitis occurred in 10 cases (6%), osteomyelitis in four (2.4%), and tendinitis or bursitis in two (1.2%). Treatment with tetracycline or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) alone (four to eight weeks) or in combination with streptomycin (two to four weeks) resulted in a relapse rate of 16.6%. No relapses occurred in seven patients treated with repeated four-to six-week courses of rifampin plus tetracycline or TMP-SMZ plus streptomycin.

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