Patients with back pain that doesn't go away despite therapy may have a spine infection that could lead to paralysis or death if not diagnosed and treated correctly, note the first U.S. guidelines on vertebral osteomyelitis, released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and published in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Vertebral osteomyelitis is fairly rare, and therefore often is overlooked because it causes back pain, a common ailment usually triggered by a pulled muscle or spine injury. Because the consequences of the infection are dire, it's important that an expert such as an infectious diseases (ID) physician help manage the patient.
