Bell Palsy and Parsonage-Turner Syndrome Following Pneumococcal Vaccination: A Case Report

Abstract

Parsonage-Turner syndrome (PTS), also known as brachial neuritis, is a rare self-limiting, idiopathic condition characterized by sudden onset upper extremity pain with associated weakness and muscle atrophy. There exists a growing association between the development of PTS and infection/vaccinations in recent years. No case of PTS has been documented following pneumococcal vaccination to date. Bell palsy (BP) is an idiopathic disease process involving acute-onset unilateral acute facial paralysis resulting from edema and inflammation of the seventh cranial nerve. The etiology of BP is also largely unknown, but infectious processes, including viral reactivation and adverse vaccination reactions, have recently been documented. Although both PTS and BP are uncommon on their own, it is extremely rare for the 2 conditions to occur simultaneously. This case report presents a unique case of PTS and BP developing following the administration of the pneumococcal 20-valent conjugate vaccine.