Pyogenic arthritis in Qatar

A retrospective study of patients diagnosed with pyogenic arthritis at Hamad Medical Corporation over the five-year period January 1st 1996 to December 312000 showed that only 24 patients out of 63 fulfilled the criteria for bacterial arthritis. Staph. Aureus was the main organism isolated from the synovial fluid (72%). The mean duration between the onset of symptoms and admission was 11days. Nearly half the patients (45%) were under 12 years of age. Earlier diagnosis and treatment gives a better outcome.