Tuberculosis

Treated for TB but getting a lot of knee pain

04/15/2008 08:44AM

Question:

I was treated for TB 4 years ago, and now I am getting knee pain, for which I have consulted doctor who has taken some fluids and blood from the knee joint, and couldn`t able to figure out why I was getting knee pain, so adviced me to reduce the weight (20 kilos). My worry is once, after taking medication, can I be infected with TB again? I need your advice..........Thanks

Answer:

Your question is difficult to answer without knowing more details of your case of tuberculosis. I assume from the question that you have asked that your original TB infection was in the knee joint. If you had TB in the knee in the past, and took a full course of treatment, the risk of relapse is probably about 2-5%, depending on the duration of treatment. Most relapse occurs within 2 years of the original disease, but it is possible to have a relapse even 4 years later.
If your original infection with TB was in the lung, then it would be much more unusual to now have TB of your knee.

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Response by:

Catherine A Curley, MD, MS
Director and Assistant Professor
Tuberculosis Clinic
MetroHealth Medical Center
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University