Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with and without tubercular PSD (tPSD).
| All included | Excluding tPSD | Only tPSD | p-value a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total sample—no. | 48b | 42b | 6b | |
| Age (years)—median (range) | 3.8 (0.3–17.7) | 2.8 (0.3–16.9) | 13.5 (6.8–17.7) | 0.007 |
| Age distribution—no. (%) | ||||
| <1 year | 4 (8%) | 4 (10%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| 1 to 5 years | 22 (46%) | 22 (52%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| >5 years | 22 (46%) | 16 (38%) | 6 (100%) | 0.006 |
| Sex—no. (%) | ||||
| Male | 23 (48%) | 20 (48%) | 3 (50%) | 0.625 |
| Female | 25 (52%) | 22 (52%) | 3 (50%) | - |
| Male to female ratio | 1:1.1 | 1:1.1 | 1:1 | - |
| Clinical presentation | ||||
| Back pain | 20 (42%) | 20 (48%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Coxalgia | 5 (10%) | 5 (12%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Limp | 5 (10%) | 5 (12%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Other | 18 (38%) | 12 (28%) | 6 (100%) | 0.002 |
| Fever | 22 (46%) | 19 (45%) | 3 (50%) | 0.582 |
| Pain/tenderness | 46 (96%) | 42 (100%) | 4 (67%) | 0.013 |
| History of trauma | 8 (17%) | 7 (17%) | 1 (17%) | 0.742 |
| Comorbidities at presentation | 19 (40%) | 16 (38%) | 3 (50%) | 0.658 |
| Time to admission (days)—median (range) | 21.5 (2–148) | 20.5 (2–148) | 60 (3–133) | 0.170 |
| Blood parameters | ||||
| White blood cells—mean (SD) | 11167 (4203) | 11440 (4246) | 9167 (3577) | 0.195 |
| Neutrophils %—mean (SD) | 0.55 (0.57) | 0.52 (0.18) | 0.73 (0.09) | <0.001 |
| ESR (mm/h)—mean (SD) | 43.8 (25.7) | 40.9 (24.3) | 69 (28) | 0.136 |
| CRP (mg/dl)—median (range) | 2 (0–30.7) | 1.8 (0–30.7) | 2.9 (1.4–12) | 0.226 |
| IgA (g/l)—median (range) | 1.03 (0.1–7.34) | 0.94 (0.1–7.34) | 4.30 (3.54–6.18) | 0.002 |
| IgG (g/l)—median (range) | 10.6 (2.3–34.6) | 9.7 (2.3–20.6) | 20.6 (17.7–34.6) | 0.002 |
| IgM (g/l)—mean (SD) | 1.1 (0.48) | 1.1 (0.27) | 1.01 (0.51) | 0.585 |
| Microbiological positivity (overall) | 13 (27%) | 8 (19%) | 5 (83%) | 0.004 |
| Radiological imaging | ||||
| X-ray | 43 (90%) | 38 (90%) | 5 (83%) | 0.503 |
| Ultrasound of hip joint | 4 (8%) | 4 (10%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| CT-scan | 18 (38%) | 13 (41%) | 5 (83%) | 0.022 |
| MRI | 46 (96%) | 41 (98%) | 5 (83%) | 0.237 |
| Scintigraphy | 23 (48%) | 20 (48%) | 3 (50%) | 0.625 |
| Biopsy | 10 (21%) | 6 (14%) | 4 (67%) | 0.013 |
| Perilesional cellulitis/myositis | 7 (15%) | 7 (17%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Soft-tissue abscess | 16 (33%) | 11 (26%) | 5 (83%) | 0.012 |
| Site of infection (vertebral region) | ||||
| Cervical | 3 (6%) | 3 (7%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Thoracic | 5 (11%) | 3 (7%) | 2 (33%) | 0.111 |
| Thoraco-lumbar | 4 (8%) | 2 (5%) | 2 (33%) | 0.071 |
| Lumbar | 21 (44%) | 21 (50%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Lumbo-sacral | 12 (25%) | 10 (24%) | 2 (33%) | 0.631 |
| Sacral | 3 (6%) | 3 (7%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| IV therapy (days)—median (range) | 27.5 (0–87) | 27 (0−64) | 53 (0−87) | 0.190 |
| <14 days | 4 (8%) | 3 (7%) | 1 (17%) | 0.425 |
| >14 days | 44 (92%) | 39 (93%) | 5 (83%) | - |
| OS therapy (days)—median (range) | 23 (0–526) | 22 (0−51) | 419 (62–526) | <0.001 |
| <14 days | 9 (19%) | 9 (21%) | 0 (0%) | 0.320 |
| >14 days | 39 (81%) | 33 (79%) | 6 (100%) | - |
| Total antibiotic therapy (days)—median (range) | 51 (21–561) | 49 (21–86) | 482 (112–562) | <0.001 |
| <6 weeks | 41 (86%) | 41 (98%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| >6 weeks | 7 (14%) | 1 (2%) | 6 (100%) | - |
| Hospitalization (days)—median (range) | 30 (13–265) | 30 (13–265) | 53.5 (21–91) | 0.037 |
| Follow-up (months)—median (range) | 12 (0–60) | 11 (0–60) | 18 (3–36) | 0.255 |
| Sequelaec | 9 (19%) | 4 (10%) | 5 (83%) | <0.001 |
a
Comparison between patients with or without tPSD.
b
Data were calculated accounting for missing values.
c
Mainly kyphosis (n = 5) and scoliosis (n = 2), followed by rigidity (n = 1) and gibbus (n = 1).
Bold values are highlight the most significant ones in terms of absolute value.