Extra-Pulmonary Pott’s Disease with Intracranial Manifestations: An Inmate’s Story

Tuberculosis is a chronic disease that is the leading cause of infectious disease deaths worldwide. In developed countries, incidences are minimal and however, complicated manifestations of tuberculosis are becoming a trend within the prison system. This case report illustrates a patient within the United States correctional system who demonstrated a rare infection of tuberculosis despite absent pulmonary findings. Our Patient was a 39-year-old inmate presenting with fatigue, night sweats, weight loss, and progressive dyspnea. Pulmonary imaging and cultures of sputum were negative for tuberculosis. Further imaging and laboratory workups demonstrated extensive spinal infections along with intracranial lesions that were positive for tuberculosis. Neurosurgery declined operative medicine due to advancement of the disease and appropriate antibiotic therapy was immediately initiated. Tuberculosis continues to exist in developed countries with an increased emergence of complicated cases. Furthermore, incarceration dramatically increases an individual’s risk of worse infections. The clinical impact involves promoting awareness for a need to identify and prevent continued spread of disseminated infections. Therefore, further investigations of this trend in prisons are worth considering.