title: Spondylodiscitis: evaluation of patients in a tertiary hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spondylodiscitis (SD) is an uncommon but important infection. The aim of this work was to study the risk factors, bacteriological features, clinical, laboratory and radiological findings of SD, and to shed light on the initial treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 107 patients who underwent treatment for SD were evaluated. The diagnosis of SD was defined by clinical findings, complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum tube agglutination (STA) test, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, culture, histopathology, and radiological methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 107 cases, ranging between 17 to 83 years of age, 64 (59.8%) were male. Twenty-seven (25.2%) patients had diabetes mellitus. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated CRP in 70 (65%) patients, elevated ESR in 65 (61%) patients, and elevated white blood cell (WBC) counts in 41 (38.3%) patients. Thirty-six (33.6%) patients were identified as having brucellar SD, and 5 (4.7%) patients were identified as having tuberculous SD. A total of 66 (61.6%) patients were determined to have pyogenic SD. The most frequently isolated microorganism was Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic therapy was given intravenously to all pyogenic SD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of SD has increased as a result of the higher life expectancy of older patients with chronic debilitating diseases and the increase of spinal surgical procedures. In patients with low back pain, SD should be considered as a diagnosis. For effective treatment, it is important to determine the etiology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Diyarbakir Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey. ksafak76@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Safak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: Sehmuz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Ulas
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Aktas
authors.forename: Kagan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamasak
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozalp
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cinar
authors.forename: Recai
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duymus
authors.forename: Mehmet Gazi
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Boyaci
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akkoyun
authors.forename: Ahmet Emre
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Eskazan
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Temiz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013131:Spine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D055815:Young Adult