Journal of the Indian Academy of Geriatrics (Jan 2023)
Low back pain: An unusual presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Abstract
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a lymphoid tissue neoplasm originating from B- and T-cells and usually presents with fever, lymphadenopathy, and hepatosplenomegaly. Here is a case of NHL who presented to us with low backache. We describe a patient 63 year old female who had a known history of systemic hypertension, presented with spasmodic low back pain. On examination, she had a single right lymph node 1 cm × 2 cm palpable with spinal tenderness. Her blood reports were all within normal limits with slightly elevated inflammatory markers. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen, which were compressing the celiac plexus. After a lymph node biopsy, it was revealed that she had follicular NHL. On the initiation of steroids and chemotherapy, her pain subsided. NHL has a variety of presentations. It is not necessary always fever should be a part of the presentation. Physicians should have a suspicion of lymphoma also in patients presenting with low backache.
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