Persistent back pain can cause patients to take drastic measures in the pursuit of relief, but one elderly man in the US got more than he bargained for when his daily aspirin habit led to salicylate toxicity, doctors report.  

The 76-year-old patient was admitted to ED after he was found crawling on a city footpath and told attending paramedics that he felt dizzy and “weird”.  

The case doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston say he reported shortness of breath, persistent ringing in his ears and chronic back pain; his blood pressure was 183/113mmHg.  

He could not recall recent events or provide additional history, but he did remember the name of the hospital where he received usual care, they reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.