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. 2021 Jan;28(1):341-343.
doi: 10.1111/ene.14551. Epub 2020 Oct 19.

Gender analysis of 'man-in-the-barrel' syndrome: is 'person-in-the-barrel' a more adequate term?

C Soares  1   2 , D Ferreira  1   2 , R Araújo  1   2
Affiliations

Gender analysis of 'man-in-the-barrel' syndrome: is 'person-in-the-barrel' a more adequate term?

C Soares et al. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Gender bias is a known issue in healthcare and academia. We analysed the gender of patients reported in the literature with 'man-in-the-barrel' syndrome or equivalent semiological terms.

Methods: A search in the PubMed database was conducted using the terms 'man-in-the-barrel', 'person-in-the-barrel', 'woman-in-the-barrel', 'brachial diplegia', 'flail arm' and 'cruciate paralysis'. All articles published between 1969 and 2020 containing a detailed description compatible with the original description of man-in-the-barrel syndrome were included.

Results: Ninety-five patients with a clinical picture compatible with man-in-the-barrel syndrome were included. Up to 33% of patients were female. Overall, the proportion of female patients with man-in-the-barrel syndrome was 25%.

Discussion and conclusions: The term man-in-the-barrel may disenfranchise up to a third of women presenting with brachial diplegia with undesirable consequences. We propose a gender-neutral alternative such as 'person-in-the-barrel'.

Keywords: brachial diplegia; gender gap; gendered language; man-in-the-barrel.

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