Hopkins syndrome is a rare poliomyelitis-like neurological syndrome that occurs following an episode of acute asthma.
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Clinical presentation
It usually manifests as flaccid paralysis of one or more limbs, several days or weeks following an episode of acute asthma.
Pathology
The pathogenesis is unclear. Notably, many, but not all, case reports have identified many different viral triggers for the asthma attack 4.
Radiographic features
MRI
T2: hyperintense anterior horn cell
T1+C (Gd): enhancement of the ventral nerve roots and anterior horn cell
Treatment and prognosis
Prognosis is usually not good and patients may remain paralyzed permanently, however, treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin with a good response has been reported in some cases 3.
History and etymology
The condition was first described by Ian James Hopkins (1934-2019), Australia's first pediatric neurologist, and Lloyd K Shield (fl. 2016), Australian pediatric neurologist, in their seminal 1974 case report 5.
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