Poncet's Arthritis: Case Report

Poncet's disease is a rare clinical condition, characterized by polyarticular impairment in a patient diagnosed with tuberculosis, with no evidence of direct bacillary invasion of the joints, constituting reactive arthritis. We report a case of a 56-year old, white male from the city of Porto Alegre, with evidence of additive polyarthritis of the large joints, investigated for five years, and with no defined diagnosis. The patient had undergone unilateral nephrectomy five years before, and the anatomicopathological exam of the specimen revealed renal tuberculosis. The current tuberculin test was strongly reactive (PPD = 20 mm). Analysis of the synovial fluid showed no direct bacillary invasion. Tuberculostatic treatment was initiated and clinical remission occurred after two months. The diagnosis of Poncet's arthritis was established.