Q. What are the common causes of an autoimmune disorder with muscle atrophy?

Hi doctor,

I had nerve pain in my left leg before two years. When I consulted a physiotherapist and neurosurgeon, they diagnosed it as herniated disk. But my MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was normal. So I stopped consulting after four months. Before one year, I have had breathing difficulty and light headedness. My pulmonary function test (PFT) results were normal. After two months I started taking medications for asthma and the symptoms reduced after four months. I am taking tablet Advair 250/50 mg (Salmeterol), tablet Zoloft (Sertraline), and tablet Singulair (Montelukast) 10 mg. Before two months, I have had fever, vomit, and stomach flu for two days. I have recurring shoulder pain, muscle twitching, and cramps in the feet when I laid down due to viral infection. So I visited an emergency room several times. The pain is severe, lasts for 20 hours and gives a electrical shock feel while stretching the arms. I am unable to raise my left arm above the shoulder. My mother-in-law is an occupational therapist and she told me that I have issues in my left scapula. When I consulted a doctor, he told me it will be fine after few weeks. Now I feel weakness and atrophy in the hands. I read on the internet about Parsonage Turner syndrome and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). I took complete blood count (CBC) last month and the results were normal.

Thank you doctor for the reply,

Autoimmune disorders are common in my family. What do you think about my reports?