Parsonage-Turner Syndrome: case report of a HIV seropositive patient

Parsonage-Turner Syndrome is a rare disease that affects the musculature of the scapular girdle, leading to muscle atrophy and large motor deficit. The etiology is uncertain, but it is believed that infectious and autoimmune factors are involved. The diagnosis is made by exclusion, and the main differential diagnoses are cervical disc hernias, rotator cuff injuries and rheumatic diseases. During diagnostic investigations, we perform laboratory tests, radiographs and MRI on the shoulders and cervical spine, with emphasis on electroneuromyography to help in making a definitive diagnosis. This case report is presented because it shows a disease that is rarely associated with HIV seropositivity and the importance of early diagnosis for better treatment of these patients.