title: Discitis, infectious arthritis, and bacterial meningitis in a patient with pancreatic diabetes.
abstract: A 63-year-old woman with pancreatic diabetes after a total pancreatectomy and splenectomy developed discitis of the L2/3 intervertebral disk. Rapidly she also developed infectious arthritis of the left knee joint and bacterial meningitis. Aspirate from the left knee contained Enterococcus faecalis. The diagnosis of discitis is generally difficult in the initial period of disease, and patients with diabetes or splenectomy are susceptible to rapid progression of the infection. Early diagnosis of discitis using magnetic resonance imaging of the spine and treatment with antibiotics might have altered her clinical course.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa Medical School.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takahara
mesh_terms: D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000150:complications*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D015299:Discitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects