Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of patients with and without vertebral osteomyelitis
| All patients (n = 32) | Patients with vertebral osteomyelitis (n = 20) | Patients without vertebral osteomyelitis (n = 12) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male (%) | 22 (68.8) | 16 (80.0) | 6 (50.0) |
| Age (range) | 66.8 (43–92) | 70.2 (43–92) | 61.1 (46–81) |
| Medical history | |||
| - Malignancy (%) | 4 (12.5) | 2 (10.0) | 2 (16.7) |
| - Immunocompromized (%) | 2 (6.3) | 2 (10.0) | 0 |
| - Diabetes mellitus (%) | 4 (12.5) | 3 (15.0) | 1 (8.3) |
| - Spinal implants (%) | 2 (6.3) | 0 | 2 (16.7) |
| - Spinal surgery <1y (%) | 1 (3.1) | 0 | 1 (8.3) |
| - Other implantsa (%) | 10 (31.3) | 6 (30.0) | 4 (33.3) |
| Fever (%) | 23 (71.9) | 14 (70.0) | 8 (66.7) |
| Increased CRP/ESR (%) | 31 (96.9) | 20 (100) | 11 (91.7) |
| Positive blood cultureb (%) | 26 (81.3) | 18 (85.7) | 8 (72.7) |
aOther implants: vascular graft (n = 4), heart valve prosthesis (n = 2), total hip prosthesis (n = 2), double J stent (n = 1), sacral neuromodulator (n = 1)
b11 patients (42.3%) had Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, one patient (3.8%) had bacteremia with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, eight patients (30.8%) had bacteremia with Streptococcus species, two patients (7.7%) with Enterococcus faecalis, two patients (7.7%) with Escherichia coli, and one patient (3.8%) with Klebsiella pneumoniae, and one patient (3.8%) with Aerococcus urinae