TUBERCULOSIS OF STERNOCLAVICULAR JOINT: DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA – A CASE REPORT

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis with impunity can attack any organ or tissue of the human body. Currently there is world wide resurgence of tuberculosis due to HIV pandemic and a host of other predisposing factors. A high index of suspicion is indispensable especially in high tuberculosis burden countries and immuno- compromised patients in Euro-Zone and United States1.There is a continuous rise in the number of tuberculosis cases all over the world despite global efforts to control this menace. There were an estimated 9.27 million new cases of tuberculosis worldwide in 20072. Pakistan ranks 8th amongst the countries with highest burden of tuberculosis in the world and contributes about 44% of tuberculosis burden in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO).