nuchal rigidity

Symptoms may include headache and nuchal rigidity (being unable to bend the head forward).

Headache can be so severe that suggests meningitis and some nuchal rigidity is not unusual.

Grade 1: Asymptomatic; or minimal headache and slight nuchal rigidity.

In cases with meningitis - nuchal rigidity, headache and photophobia occur.

Nuchal rigidity occurs in 70% of bacterial meningitis in adults.

Vomiting may be present at the onset but fever and nuchal rigidity characterestically are absent.

Headache with nuchal rigidity may occur.

Stiff neck (prolonged and severe nuchal rigidity)

Grade 2: Moderate to severe headache; nuchal rigidity; no neurologic deficit except sixth nerve palsy.

The main clinical signs that indicate meningism are nuchal rigidity, Kernig's sign and Brudzinski's signs.

Be alert to symptoms of fatigue, high fever, and a characteristic of meningitis called nuchal rigidity, a stiffness in the muscles of the neck.

Meningism is the triad of nuchal rigidity (neck stiffness), photophobia (intolerance of bright light) and headache.

Severe pain in perimastoid region, difficulty of swallowing, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, nuchal rigidity, and fever.

None of the signs are particularly sensitive; in adults with meningitis, nuchal rigidity was present in 30% and Kernig's or Brudzinski's sign only in 5%.

Meningeal signs, including nuchal rigidity (the inability to flex the neck forward), Kernig's sign, or Brudzinski's sign, were uncommon, occurring in 10 (14%) patients.

Less frequent findings include nuchal rigidity, photophobia, and focal neurologic signs, as were seen among 30 HIV-infected children with cryptococcosis reported from the United States (341).

The classic triad of diagnostic signs consists of nuchal rigidity, sudden high fever, and altered mental status; however, all three features are present in only 44-46% of bacterial meningitis cases.

In contrast to this indolent presentation, children in Zimbabwe presented with an acute form of neurologic cryptococcosis (69% with nuchal rigidity, 38% with seizure activity, and 23% with focal neurologic signs) (344).

In adults, the most common symptom of meningitis is a severe headache, occurring in almost 90% of cases of bacterial meningitis, followed by nuchal rigidity (the inability to flex the neck forward passively due to increased neck muscle tone and stiffness).

Nuchal rigidity is the inability to flex the neck forward due to rigidity of the neck muscles; if flexion of the neck is painful but full range of motion is present, nuchal rigidity is absent.