Mendel's symptom can occur in several cases, in the article we will describe some of the most common. Firstly, it is appendicitis, and secondly, meningitis.
Identification of inflammation of the appendix
Inflammation of the appendix of the rectum (appendix) is called acute appendicitis. In order to avoid serious complications, it is important to make a diagnosis on time, which is not always possible due to a number of factors. Symptoms of the disease are ambiguous and vary depending on the location of the appendix in the abdominal cavity, changes in the appendix, attached complications, as well as the person’s age. The main signs of the pathology are sudden sudden wandering pains in the navel or in the upper abdomen.
After a period of time from one to twelve hours, the pain passes into the iliac region of the right side of the abdomen. With an atypical location of the appendix, pain can be felt: in the right hypochondrium (the location of the appendix is above the normal position), along the entire right side of the abdomen (with retrocecal location), in the lumbar region, above the pubis (with the pelvic location). Other symptoms of appendicitis include nausea and vomiting. The stool most often remains intact. The tongue is wet, covered with a white coating. A sharp headache with a change in body position is noted.
What is a Mendel symptom
Diagnosis of the disease is not difficult with a normal position of the appendix in the abdominal cavity. The non-standard location and atypical course of the inflammatory process can mislead even experienced specialists. In such situations, doctors act by eliminating other possible abdominal pathologies, such as ectopic pregnancy, renal colic, mesadenitis, acute enteritis, diverticulitis, acute pancreatitis, perforated gastric and duodenal ulcers, acute adnexitis, herpes zoster, and right-sided pneumonia.
For the purposes of diagnosis, many symptoms (sets of signs) have been developed, thanks to which it is possible to establish an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner. The simplest of them is the Mendel-Razdolsky symptom, which explains the pain in the right iliac region by percussion of the abdominal wall. The cause of its manifestation in appendicitis is irritation of the receptors of the inflamed appendix.
Detection of meningitis
Meningitis is one of the most dangerous neurological diseases, which is due to the focus of occurrence. A doctor of any specialization needs to be able to determine the signs of meningitis in a timely manner. When diagnosing, the main attention is paid to symptoms that cause irritation of the meninges
(this is the pathogenesis of the disease). A group of so-called grimaceous or painful symptoms, which, increasing the irritation of meningeal membranes, provoke severe pain in the patient, is especially distinguished.
Mendel's symptom for meningitis
It was first described by Kurt Mendel, a neurologist from Germany in the mid-twentieth century. The essence of the method is simple and consists in the following: the patient is placed on the couch, the external auditory canals are closed with fingers, after which a gentle, moderate pressure is applied. In the case of meningitis or any other disease that irritates the meninges, a person experiences pain, which is expressed on the face in the form of a painful grimace. If soreness prevails on only one side of the head, most likely this indicates an inflammatory process in the middle ear.
Due to its simplicity, Mendel's symptom is of great importance in the diagnosis of meningitis. Especially in the case when the standard manifestations of the meningeal syndrome complex are weakly expressed and require further consideration and search. However, it should be borne in mind that Mendel’s symptom is not a sufficient condition for diagnosing this disease, that is, on the basis of it alone it is impossible to make an unambiguous diagnosis.