A 53-year-old lady was admitted with decompensated dengue shock syndrome during the febrile phase, complicated by massive retroperitoneal bleeding requiring angioembolization. She was initially stabilized by fluid resuscitation at emergency department prior to ICU admission. While in ICU, her haemoglobin level plummeted from 17.5 g/dL to 5.8 g/dL without any obvious source of bleeding. She had hemodynamic instability and worsening acidosis. The abdominal ultrasound performed showed complex ascites and CT abdomen revealed a large right retroperitoneal hematoma with ongoing bleeding. The patient’s hemodynamic was restored and bleeding resolved after angioembolization of the right L2 lumbar artery and right phrenic artery.

Chronic low back pain, defined as back pain lasting for more than three months, can be divided into mechanical or inflammatory back pain (IBP). IBP typically starts in patients below the age of 40, is improved with activity and worsens with rest. IBP is strongly associated with axial spondyloarthritis. Early recognition of IBP among primary care physicians is essential for timely diagnosis and intervention to ensure the best outcomes for patients with axial spondyloarthritis. This paper describes the Malaysian Society of Rheumatology’s recently developed Inflammatory Back Pain Referral Algorithm for primary care physicians, which aims to facilitate the early identification and referral of IBP patients to rheumatologists.