Swiss doctors have described a case of Parsonage-Turner syndrome occurring after infection with monkeypox: according to their data, such a case has been described only once before. A man in his 30s came to doctors led by Filippo Gerber from Lausanne University Hospital with severe shoulder pain and subsequent muscle atrophy for five months, which began two weeks after infection with monkeypox. His medical history included hepatitis C, epilepsy and episodic drug use. The case is described in BMJ Case Reports.
Character-Turner syndrome, or neuralgic amyotrophy, is a rare peripheral pathology of the nerves with acute severe pain in the shoulder, weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder girdle and forearm muscles. Among the risk factors, there are, among others, infectious ones: cases of the syndrome development during infection with coronavirus, parvovirus and smallpox viruses have been described. Examination showed atrophy of the deltoid, triceps and biceps muscles of the left shoulder and forearm. Muscle strength and reflexes of these and adjacent muscles were reduced. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography of the muscles of the left shoulder girdle, shoulder and forearm led doctors to the diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy. Rehabilitation with the use of physiotherapy helped to relieve pain and restore muscle strength in the left upper limb.