Winterbottom's sign

Winterbottom's sign is seen in the early phase of African trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by the parasites Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which is more commonly known as African sleeping sickness. Dr. Anthony Martinelli describes Winterbottom's sign as the swelling of lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) along the back of the neck, in the posterior cervical chain of lymph nodes, as trypanosomes travel in the lymphatic fluid and cause inflammation.

Winterbottom's sign
Differential diagnosisAfrican trypanosomiasis

It may be suggestive of cerebral infection.[1]

Eponym

The term Winterbottom's sign derives from descriptions of the posterior cervical lymphadenopathy associated with African trypanosomiasis made by a slave trader using the sign to weed out the ill.[2][3]

References

  1. Ormerod WE (October 1991). "Hypothesis: the significance of Winterbottom's sign". J Trop Med Hyg. 94 (5): 338–40. PMID 1942213.
  2. Miles, Tom. "The Winterbottom Catalogue". www.bl.uk.
  3. Cox F. History of sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis). Infectious Disease Clinics of North America - Volume 18, Issue 2 (June 2004)


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