Summary
Tuberculous arthritis of the shoulder was not diagnosed in an 80-year-old man with Addison's disease until the appearance of a draining abscess in his arm. Initially signs, symptoms, x-rays and laboratory studies were consistent with calcific tendonitis and degenerative arthritis. Then an arthrogram demonstrated a connection between the shoulder joint and the abscess. A high level of suspicion for tuberculous arthritis should be maintained in an elderly patient whose past medical history is suspicious for tuberculosis and whose articular complaints are chronic.
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Miller, K.D., Moore, M.E. Tuberculous arthritis of the shoulder: Delayed diagnosis aided by arthrography. Clin Rheumatol 2, 61–64 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02032070
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02032070