Brudzinsky's symptom is a group of specific meningeal symptoms that result from irritation of the meninges. Meningeal symptoms include drowsiness, severe headache, vomiting, and dizziness. The Brudzinsky symptom itself is a flexion of the knees and hips in response to the patient's passive flexion of the neck. This is one of the most important early signs of diseases such as subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis. Of particular note, this symptom can be observed in both adults and children, although in younger patients it is more common in case of meningeal disorders. At the same time, checking for the presence of the Brudzinsky sign does not apply to routine medical examinations.
Main causes of symptom development
Regardingthe main reasons that can provoke its appearance, then, first of all, it is necessary to isolate an infection such as bacterial meningitis. In this case, the symptom will be observed in a person only twenty-four hours after the onset of this disease. In addition, the symptom of Brudzinsky can be recorded in acute arthritis of the spine. Also, this symptom can be determined two to three minutes after the onset of subarachnoid bleeding. In this case, in the latter case, and in the case of meningitis, meningeal disorders are noted due to the accumulation of exudate or blood pressure around the nerve endings located in the spinal cord.
Five symptoms of Brudzinski
Currently, experts identify five main symptoms of Brudzinski. Firstly, this is a zygomatic sign, determined by bending the legs at the knees in response to tapping on the so-called zygomatic arch. The average symptom of Brudzinsky or, in other words, the pubic symptom, is fixed by pressing on the pubic joint. In this case, the doctor also bends the patient's legs at the knee and hip joints. Pressing on the cheek below the zygomatic arch and raising the shoulders is a buccal symptom of Brudzinsky. The upper (occipital) sign is determined by bending the patient's legs in the joints of the knee and hip type simultaneously with passive flexion of the head. It should also be said about the fifth (lower) symptom. It is fixed at the moment when the patient, who lies on his back, bends the leg in the area of the hip joint andunbend at the knee.
List of clinical indications
The manifestation of any of the listed symptoms of Brudzinsky should be reported to the doctor immediately. This is due to the fact that a person with this kind of symptoms, as a rule, is seriously ill, and he needs constant monitoring of vital signs and intracranial pressure. In addition, it is necessary to conduct neurological examinations and check cardiovascular activity. Brudzinski's symptom also requires diagnostic procedures such as blood, urine, sputum, and cerebrospinal fluid cultures.
