title: Headaches, opiates and kyphoscoliosis--a dangerous mixture.
abstract: Acute respiratory failure is a recognised complication of kyphoscoliosis, but such individuals exhibit a wide range of cardiorespiratory dysfunction ranging from clinically insignificant disease to severe respiratory failure and eventual death. We report a 49 year old lady with adolescent kyphoscoliosis who presented to her general practitioner with nocturnal headaches of such severity that opiates were given pending transfer to hospital over a distance of 50 miles. This induced acute respiratory failure for which assisted ventilation was required.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000139:chemically induced; D012600:Scoliosis / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics