Author: Adrian Boyle / Editor: Adrian Boyle / Reviewer: Michael Perry, Rafeeq Ahmed Sulaiman / Codes: A6 / Published: 21/08/2023
A 25-year-old man has attended the Emergency Department (ED) four times in the last fortnight with low back pain. The man tells you that there is no history of trauma. The pain has been progressing over the last three weeks and he feels generally ill. He has not lost any weight. He injects heroin.
On examination he is unkempt and uncomfortable. He is thin. He is tender over the lower lumbar spine and his neurological examination of his legs is normal. Rectal examination reveals normal anal tone and intact perianal sensation.
14 Comments
An important case showing acute presentation of iv abusers with backache.