Tuberculous spondylitis in elderly Japanese patients

It is difficult to diagnose tuberculous spondylitis in the elderly because there are atypical symptoms, a scarcity of inflammatory changes, and degenerative changes normally seen in the elderly may mask the radiographic changes due to tuberculous spondylitis. Tuberculous spondylitis should be considered a possibility in the differential diagnosis of back pain in the elderly, especially in countries with a significant history of tuberculosis in the population.