United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Are there any history buffs out there? I am aware that Joseph Stalin had a bpi but when trying to learn more about it, I read that as a child he suffered from "septicemia" (a bacteria caused form of blood poisoning) "which left his arm slightly crippled for life". Yet when I looked into septicemia it said nothing about any such possible outcome, so I am confused. Do any of you know if Stalin indeed had a bpi and if so from what?

I have my bachelors degree in history and am working on my masters with a concentration in Russian history. I have BPI and have studied Stalin extensively, he intrigued me for a number of reasons and his arm (though low on the list) was one. He did not have symptoms that coincide with BPI, other than the partial paralysis and muscular atrophy. Septicemia did leave his arm paralyzed however, so unless that puts it in the same catagory, I would conclude he did not have BPI. I'll keep reading though, now you've caught my attention.

If the septicemia damaged the nerves of his arm so that it was paralysed, then it would be a bpi, but a tbpi rather than an obpi.

Don't know about Stalin but I do know septicaemia can and does cause paralysis http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/meningitis.html here's one site but there are a few-if you type in the English spelling of septicaemia you get a lot more sites for some reason. I had viral meningitis 2 months ago and was quite concerned to find paralysis could be a side effect if it went to septicaemia. Luckily it didn't but I'm still having the headaches and joint pain....
The paralysis is caused by brain damage rather than damage to the peripheral nerve system so Stalin couldn't be classed as a bpi if septicaemia was what caused his paralysis.