Behind a Low Back Pain: A Case Report

Abstract

Low back pain is one of the most frequent causes of human suffering next to the common cold. It is a frequent reason for medical consultation in General Practice and a relevant public health problem due to the morbidity and socio-economic costs it entails. Only a small percentage of cases correspond to a specific etiology, requiring a differentiated diagnostic and therapeutic approach. The authors describe a case of a 53-year-old man with history of degenerative lumbar pathology with mechanical low back pain without relief with analgesic treatment; lumbar computed tomography showed a suspicious finding of neoplastic lesion versus spondylodiscitis and was referred for neurosurgical consultation. The bone biopsy showed that it was an infection with Mycobaterium tuberculosis and he was oriented to the pulmonary disease center. The treatment lasted 12 months.