Syndrome characterized by sudden onset, severe shoulder pain followed by weakness and sensory loss as pain resolves over the course of days to weeks
Also known by many other names including acute brachial neuritis, acute brachial plexitis, idiopathic brachial plexopathy, neuralgic amyotrophy
More common in males in the 4th decade of life
Can affect any part of the brachial plexus
Most commonly affected nerves: long thoracic nerve, suprascapular nerve, axillary nerve, musculocutaneous nerve, radial nerve
Up to 1/3 may have bilateral involvement2
Upper trunk most frequently affected3
May have preceding viral syndrome
Two forms
Idiopathic
Hereditary
Most commonly affected nerves: long thoracic nerve, suprascapular nerve, axillary nerve, musculocutaneous nerve, radial nerve
Idiopathic
Hereditary
Parsonage-Turner syndrome
Idiopathic
Down syndrome
Post-infectious
Kounis syndrome
Viral
Sheehan's syndrome
Epstein-Barr, CMV, influenza, parvovirus, coxsackie, HIV, Polio