Image of two damaged vertebrae - Photo: BVCC
Mr. S. (39 years old, in Phu Tho) often suffers from lower back pain, which greatly affects his life. According to Mr. S., about 5 days before being hospitalized, he had severe back pain. He had massage and cupping but it did not help.
Mr. S. decided to go to the doctor to find the cause. The results of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the L2-L3 vertebrae were deformed, the joint edges were narrow, jagged and fused, and the surrounding soft tissue was thickened and swollen, causing a narrowing of the spinal canal.
After an online consultation with imaging diagnostic experts at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, doctors at Cam Khe Medical Center (Phu Tho) agreed to diagnose Mr. S. with L2-L3 vertebral bone loss without excluding spinal tuberculosis, and advised the patient to go to a higher level for treatment.
When looking at the X-ray of the two "eroded" vertebrae, Mr. S. was very surprised. The patient did not think that just back pain could be so serious.
Doctor Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen - Department of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cam Khe Medical Center - said that spinal tuberculosis often appears in the L1-L2 and D9-D12 vertebrae.
Tuberculosis bacteria silently erode and destroy the vertebral bodies, so the symptoms are often not obvious.
In addition to pain in the damaged vertebrae, the patient may experience other symptoms such as mild fever in the afternoon, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, and fatigue.
"In the case of patient S., we advised him to go to a higher level to perform some more in-depth examination techniques before making a definitive diagnosis," said Dr. Thu Huyen.
Spinal tuberculosis is an infection of the intervertebral discs and vertebrae caused by the tuberculosis bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease, formerly known as Pott's disease (Mal de Pott) or tuberculous spondylitis, is considered the most dangerous of all bone and joint infections.
Spinal tuberculosis accounts for half of all bone and joint tuberculosis, with lesions in the back and lumbar region accounting for 90% of cases. Tuberculosis bacteria usually damage two adjacent vertebrae and a disc in between.
The disease leaves severe neurological and spinal sequelae (paralysis, disability, even death), reducing the patient's ability to work, live, and quality of life if diagnosed late and treated incorrectly.
Through Mr. S's case, doctors advise that when having back or spine pain, one should go to the hospital for early examination.
Patients should absolutely not arbitrarily use painkillers or apply tobacco without a doctor's prescription. Back pain is not simply a sign of common bone and joint diseases but also a potential risk of many other dangerous diseases.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dau-that-lung-nguoi-dan-ong-sung-so-khi-phat-hien-lao-dot-song-20250319171118471.htm
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