Bell's Palsy

Introduction: Bell's Palsy

Bell's Palsy: Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from damage to the 7th (facial) cranial nerve. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Bell's Palsy Information Page: NINDS) ... more about Bell's Palsy.

Bell's Palsy: A usually temporary facial nerve disorder where a part or all of the face becomes suddenly paralysed. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Bell's Palsy is available below.

Symptoms of Bell's Palsy

• One-sided facial paralysis
• Two-sided facial paralysis
• Eyelid paralysis
• Inability to close one eye
• Smiling difficulty

See full list of 26 symptoms of Bell's Palsy

Medical Textbooks Online about Bell's Palsy

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Bell's Palsy

• Head x-ray
• Head CT scan

Read more about tests for Bell's Palsy

Wrongly Diagnosed with Bell's Palsy?

• Misdiagnosis of Bell's Palsy
• Failure to diagnose Bell's Palsy
• Underlying causes of Bell's Palsy (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Bell's Palsy

Misdiagnosis and Bell's Palsy

Ramsay Hunt syndrome- recovery depends on nerve damage: The Ramsay Hunt syndrome is herpes zoster affecting the geniculate ganglion. This syndrome develops when the varicella virus becomes reactivated from the geniculate ganglion. It is seen as a disease of older people but it can affect all ages including children. It usually presents with a paroxysmal attack of deep seated pain in the ear which slowly progresses to be diffuse in nature and continuous type with vesicles, vertigo, facial palsy causing a crooked smile and tinnitus. Making the diagnosis is very difficult when the presentation is simply pain in the ear. It is usually mistaken for Bell's palsy but the presence of vesicles helps in coming to a diagnosis. But in cases of children vesicles may not be present and this could alter the diagnosis. Presence of vertigo may change the diagnosis to acute labyrinthitis. The more severe the damage the longer it will take to recover. Early diagnosis is useful in starting an early treatment of steroids and antiviral agents for the syndrome....read more »

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Causes of Bell's Palsy

• Herpes simplex virus

Read more about causes of Bell's Palsy

More information about causes of Bell's Palsy:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Bell's Palsy (3 listings)
• Underlying causes of Bell's Palsy
• Bell's Palsy as a complication caused by other conditions
• Bell's Palsy as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Bell's Palsy

Treatments for Bell's Palsy

• Steroids
• Acyclovir
• Prednisone
• Corticosteroids - for inflammation
• Pain relief

See full list of 17 treatments for Bell's Palsy

Videos for Bell's Palsy

Patient Surveys for Bell's Palsy

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Prognosis for Bell's Palsy

Prognosis for Bell's Palsy: Good. Many improve within 2 weeks, 80% within 3 months.

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Reseach about Bell's Palsy

Visit our research pages for current research about Bell's Palsy treatments.

Statistics for Bell's Palsy

• Medical statistics for Bell's Palsy
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Bell's Palsy
• Death and Mortality statistics for Bell's Palsy
• Society statistics for Bell's Palsy

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Article Excerpts about Bell's Palsy

Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from damage to the 7th (facial) cranial nerve. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Bell's Palsy Information Page: NINDS)

Definitions of Bell's Palsy:

A syndrome characterized by the acute onset of unilateral FACIAL PARALYSIS which progresses over a 2-5 day period. Weakness of the orbicularis oculi muscle and resulting incomplete eye closure may be associated with corneal injury. Pain behind the ear often precedes the onset of paralysis. This condition may be associated with HERPESVIRUS 1, HUMAN infection of the facial nerve. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1376) - (Source - Diseases Database)

Bell's Palsy is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Bell's Palsy, or a subtype of Bell's Palsy, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Bell's Palsy as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet