Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory findings for patients of different age groups with tuberculous spondylitis in East Indonesia

Background: Although tuberculosis spondylitis (TB) continues to rage worldwide, clinical and laboratory studies of this disease have been limited in many countries. We investigated the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory findings of TB spondylitis-infected patients to identify the effective indicators correlated with the disease. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital from 2017-2022. Patients of different age groups were confirmed as having TB Spondylitis infection using a gen expert. The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the patients were statistically analyzed. Results: Of the 232 patients, 128 were male and 104 were female, with a mean age of 38.5 years (SD ±14.9). The patients were elderly (n = 54) and adults (n = 178). Of these, 87 (37.5%) had comorbidities. On admission, the main clinical manifestations were back pain (48.3%), paresthesia (29.3%), and paraplegia (22.4%). In all patients, increased neutrophil, platelet, and leukocytes were observed. The adult showed higher neutrophile counts than the elderly. Biochemistry profiles of AST, ALT, and ESR were higher in the elderly than in adult TB Spondylitis patients. Conclusion: Investigating some of the laboratory and clinical parameters could help assess the disease progression, risk of mortality, and follow up patients who could progress to a fatal condition.