Final answer:
Elderly patients experiencing lower back pain can present with continuous pain that worsens at night, weight loss, and night sweats. Other severe symptoms, such as fever, may indicate an underlying serious condition, and symptoms like headache, stiff neck, and confusion necessitate immediate medical attention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The symptoms of lower back pain in elderly patients can be complex and may include a range of manifestations. Commonly, they may experience continuous pain that gets worse at night, weight loss, and night sweats. Back pain in the elderly can sometimes be resistant to pain medications and positional changes. In some cases, elderly patients might also present with fever, indicating an underlying infection or more serious condition such as spinal infection, kidney infection, or malignancy, which could manifest alongside symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and changes in urine such as the presence of blood. These conditions could lead to serious complications like sepsis or impaired kidney function.
Patient B’s symptoms, including weight loss, profuse sweating, increased heart rate, and difficulty sleeping, could suggest an underlying systemic condition like infection or malignancy. Appropriate investigations should be performed based on these symptoms to rule out serious underlying conditions.
While all patients are different, other serious symptoms that might affect older adults and require immediate medical attention include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions which could indicate central nervous system involvement or other severe infections.