A Case of Peripheral Bone Tuberculosis Mimicking Rheumatoid Arthritis / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

A 30 year-old female visited our out-patient clinic with painful joint swelling in both hands and feet. Because she had tested positive for rheumatoid factor, and her inflammatory markers were elevated, the case was initially classified as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) classification criteria. However, radiographic examinations, including simple radiography and MRI, revealed that her peripheral bone lesions were compatible with bone tuberculosis. The patient also exhibited pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) on chest X-ray and CT examinations. She was treated with isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP), ethambutol (EMB), and pyrazinamide (PZA), and exhibited a good response to these medications. The patient was diagnosed as having bone TB, and her peripheral bone lesions were resolved using anti-TB treatment. This was an uncommon case of bone TB mimicking RA.