Discitis

Exam Cram

• Discitis is an infection of the intervertebral discs

• Presentation: vague back pain, low grade fevers, anorexia, & spinal tenderness, raised CRP +++

• Diagnosis: MRI (CT can shows subtle changes)

• Management: IV antibiotics 6 weeks, admit infectious diseases

Med Reg Notes

• Easy diagnosis to miss and argument for doing a CRP

• CT: shows loss of vertebral disc height (often worth calling radiology to specifically comment)

References and Resources

Written 2024.