The symptom of Brudzinsky is a group of special symptoms related to meningeal symptoms that arise as a result of irritation of the meninges. Meningeal symptoms include drowsiness, severe headache, vomiting and dizziness. The very symptom of Brudzinsky is the flexion of the knees and hips in response to the patient's passive bending of the neck. This is one of the most important early signs of such diseases as, for example, subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis. Especially it should be noted that this symptom can be observed in both adults and children, although for younger patients it is more typical for meningeal disorders. At the same time verification for the presence of the sign of Brudzinsky does not apply to routine medical examinations.
The main causes of the development of the symptom
As for the main reasons that can trigger its appearance, then, first of all, it is necessary to allocate such an infection as bacterial meningitis. In this case, the symptom will be observed in a person after only twenty-four hours after the onset of this disease. In addition, the symptom of Brudzinsky can be fixed in the acute form of arthritis of the spine. Also, this sign can be determined in two to three minutes after the onset of subarachnoid bleeding. In this case, and 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 Brudzinsky
At present, specialists distinguish five main symptoms of Brudzinsky. Firstly, this zygomatic sign, determined by bending the legs in the knees in response to a tapping on the so-called zygomatic arch. The average symptom of Brudzinsky or, in a different way, the pubic symptom, is fixed due to pressure on the lonnoe articulation. In this case, the doctor also bends the patient's legs in the knee and hip joints. Pressing on the cheek below the zygomatic arch and lifting the shoulders is a cheek symptom of Brudzinsky. The upper (occipital) sign is determined when the patient's legs are bent in the joints of the knee and hip type simultaneously with the passive bending 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 flexes the leg in the region of the hip joint and unbends at the knee.
List of clinical indications
Any manifestation of any of these symptoms should be reported immediately to the doctor. 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 life indications and intracranial pressure. In addition, neurological examinations and cardiovascular testing are necessary. The symptom of Brudzinsky also requires the conduct of diagnostic procedures such as blood cultures, urine, sputum and cerebrospinal fluid.