Yes, tuberculosis (TB) can affect your legs, although it's not the most common location for the infection. TB primarily affects the lungs, but it can spread to other parts of the body, including the bones and joints.
How TB Affects the Legs
TB can impact your legs in several ways:
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Spinal TB (Pott's Disease): This form of TB affects the spine, causing back pain and potentially leading to leg paralysis or muscle weakness. The infection can damage vertebrae, leading to a curved spine and affecting leg function. [Source: Multiple references including Pott's Disease (Spinal Tuberculosis): Symptoms & Treatment, Tuberculosis (TB): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment, and Skeletal Tuberculosis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and More]
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Joint TB: TB can infect joints, causing pain similar to arthritis. The knees, ankles, and hips are common sites. If TB affects the leg joints, you will experience pain and potentially limited mobility. [Source: If TB affects your joints, you may develop pain that feels like arthritis.]
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Peripheral Neuropathy (from TB medication): While not a direct effect of the TB infection itself, some medications used to treat TB can cause peripheral neuropathy, affecting nerves in the legs and leading to pain, numbness, or weakness. [Source: Peripheral neuropathy in persons with tuberculosis]
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Skin Manifestations: TB can cause skin rashes on the legs, such as erythema nodosum (red, lumpy rash). [Source: Tuberculosis (TB): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment]
It's important to note that while TB can affect the legs in several ways, it's not a frequent occurrence. Most TB cases affect the lungs.
