Monday, 19 September 2016

Spondylodiscitis in a Geriatric Male

The incidence of Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis (PS) seems to be increasing in the last years as a result of the higher life expectancy of older patients with chronic debilitating diseases; also a number of co-morbidities have been found to increase the risk of disease such as diabetes (11-31%), immunosuppression, intravenous drug use, alcoholism, chronic debility disease with decubitus ulcers, malignancy, alcohol use and renal failure.

Geriatric Male
The source of infection in the elderly has been related to the use of intravenous access devices and the asymptomatic urinary infections.A single organism is usually involved, although polymicrobial infections do occur in chronic and debility conditions. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism isolated implicated into 15- 84% of nontuberculosis cases of infection and frequently observed as complication of invasive spinal procedures (17-33%).

Bacilli gramnegative such as E.Coli, Proteus and Pseudomonas are often associated with immunosuppressive conditions, diabetes, procedures or infection involving the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tract. At the other hand immuno compromise patients, homeless, alcolists, prisoners or immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian sub-continent and south-east Asia are exposed to tuberculosis infection.

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