Which one of the following is the most reassuring in this patient with back pain?
A 58-year-old man comes to your office complaining of bilateral back pain that now awakens him at night. This has been steadily increasing for the past 2 months.
A) Age over 50
B) Pain at night
C) Pain lasting more than 1 month or not responding to therapy
D) Pain that is bilateral
D) Pain that is bilateral
While bilateral pain can be associated with serious illness, it is not one of the “red flags” of back pain. Red flags should make one suspicious for serious underlying systemic disease such as cancer, infection, or others. This list includes: age over 50, history of cancer, unexplained weight loss, pain lasting more than 1 month or not responding to treatment, pain at night or increased by rest, history of intravenous drug use, or presence of infection. The presence of one of these with low back pain indicates a 10% probability of a serious systemic disease.
You might also like to view...
A patient's medication order indicates that he
is to receive a dose of cosyntropin (Cortrosyn). The nurse is aware that this drug is used to diagnose which condition? a. Adrenocortical insufficiency b. Diabetes insipidus c. Myasthenia gravis d. Pituitary dwarfism
All insulin types have the same onset, peak, and duration
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
What is occurring with the Kolmorogov-Smirnov test?
A) Tests that the distribution deviates significantly from a normal distribution. B) Tests that the median deviates significantly from a normal distribution. C) Tests that the distribution does not deviate significantly from a normal distribution. D) Tests that the median does not deviate significantly from a normal distribution.
The state orders a person newly diagnosed with tuberculosis to be quarantined. What type of law allows the state to do this?
a. Constitutional b. Common c. Judicial d. State