Medical Science
Volume 24, Issue 103, May - June, 2020
The clinical characteristics and other factors affecting the septic arthritis of the ankle
Minh-Hoang Nguyen1, Manh-Kien Nguyen2, Dinh-Duy Pham3, Phu-Suong Nguyen4, Bich-Huy Tran-Thi5, Ngoc- Le Nguyen6, Hoang-Dung Tran7, Quang-Tri Le8♦
1Department of Orthopedics, 7A Military Hospital, 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,Viet Nam;
Email: bsnguyenminhhoang@yahoo.com.vn; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5021-669X
2Department of Laboratory and Pathology, 7A Military Hospital, 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,
VietNam, Email: nguyenmk506@gmail.com
3Department of Infectious Disease, 7A Military Hospital; 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,Viet
Nam
4Laboratory and Pathology Department, 7A Military Hospital, 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,
VietNam; Email: suongnguyenphu@gmail.com
5Faculty of Biotechnology, Nguyen-Tat-Thanh University, 298A-300A Nguyen-Tat-Thanh Street, District 04, Hochiminh City, 72820,
Vietnam, Email: ttbhuy@ntt.edu.vn;
6Department of Laboratory and Pathology, 7A Military Hospital, 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,
VietNam; Email: nguyenngocle1977@gmail.com
7Faculty of Biotechnology, Nguyen-Tat-Thanh University, 298A-300A Nguyen-Tat-Thanh Street, District 04, Hochiminh City, 72820,
VietNam, Email: thdung@ntt.edu.vn; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3563-2887
8Department of Orthopedics and Department of High-Tech Diagnostics, 7A Military Hospital; 466 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 8,
District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706, VietNam; Email: lqtri@ntt.edu.vn; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2777-0828
♦Corresponding author
Head of Department of Orthopedics, Head of Department of High-Tech Diagnostics, 7A Military Hospital; 466 Nguyen Trai Street,
Ward 8, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, 72706,Viet Nam; Email: lqtri@ntt.edu.vn / tsbstri@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The study was aimed at investigating the clinical and subclinical characteristics, causes, and other factors affecting the
septic arthritis of the ankle. Methods: The study was conducted on 47 inpatients over 16 years old in the 7A Military Hospital from
October 2018 to October 2019. The inpatients were clinically examined, tested for blood compositions, blood cultures, and ankle
radiographed. Results: The average age of the patients was 46.7 years (from 16 to 81 years old). Most patients had a magnetic
resonance image and X-ray diagnostics (n = 47). Bacteria were found in 46 patients, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus (57.4%),
Streptococcus pyogenes (17.0%), Haemophilus influenzae (6.4%), Salmonella B (4.3%), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (12.8%).
Discussion: Senior age was one of the risk factors. Inflammatory symptoms are typical and easy to diagnose. The majority of patients
showed risk factors, which was similar to other author findings, except that prolonged use of corticoids accounted for a higher
percentage of patients. The most prevalent cause was staphylococci, and the most common pathways were via blood, which agreed
with previous studies. Conclusion: Some risk factors had not been mentioned before, such as prolonged corticoid usage. The study
showed that the number of septic arthritis patients after local procedures was high. Preventive measures are needed in medical
facilities to manage the risk.
Keywords: septic arthritis, ankle, bacteria, clinical characteristics
Medical Science, 2020, 24(103), 1718-1724
