# Poncet's Disease Initially Managed as Osteoarthritis: Case Report From a Peripheral Centre in Kenya

## TL;DR

A case of Poncet's disease, a rare form of tuberculosis, was misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis in Kenya.

## Contribution

Highlights the diagnostic challenge of Poncet's disease in TB-endemic regions and the need for high suspicion.

## Key findings

- Poncet's disease was initially misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis due to lack of constitutional symptoms.
- Diagnosis was confirmed after the patient developed TB symptoms like weight loss and fever.
- The case underscores the importance of considering TB in patients with unexplained polyarthritis.

## Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge in Kenya. Though a multisystemic disease, some of the manifestations of tuberculosis such as Poncet's disease are rare and should be considered in patients presenting with symmetric polyarthritis in TB‐endemic areas. We present a case of a 49‐year‐old male patient who presented with sub‐acute ankle and foot swelling and was initially managed for osteoarthritis without improvement. At initial presentation, the history of constitutional features was equivocal, missing a potential opportunity to diagnose a systemic illness. On developing constitutional features of weight loss and fevers, a suspicion of tuberculosis was made, and a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis confirmed on chest imaging and sputum Gene Xpert test. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion when dealing with patients with polyarthritis.