Lack of facial expression
Lack of facial expression: Introduction
An absence of expression on the face is medically called "flat affect".
In many cases, the face mirrors the underlying emotions, and the person
has limited emotions or various emotional or psychological disorders.
Also possible are physical disorders of the face that limit the ability
of the face to show emotion.
For example, the partial facial paralysis from Bell's palsy may reduce
a person's ability to smile.
» Review Causes of Lack of facial expression:
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Causes of Lack of facial expression:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Lack of facial expression.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 66
causes of Lack of facial expression
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Causes of Types of Lack of facial expression:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Lack of facial expression:
See full list of 9
types for Lack of facial expression
Lack of facial expression: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Lack of facial expression, as listed in our database.
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Lack of facial expression Treatments
Review information on Lack of facial expression Treatments.
Causes of General Symptom Types
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Causes of Similar Symptoms to Lack of facial expression
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Lack of facial expression:
Diagnostic Guides for Lack of facial expression
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Lack of facial expression
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Lack of facial expression.
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Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Lack of facial expression: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
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Diagnostic tests for Lack of facial expression:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Lack of facial expression. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Central nervous system examination, including cranial nerves looking for signs of 7th nerve palsy which may be due to brain tumor, brain stroke, brain stem stroke, brain stem tumor, multiple sclerosis, acoustic neuroma, meningioma, chronic meningitis, Bell's palsy, fracture of petrous temporal bone, otitis media, herpes zoster infection, parotid gland tumor, parotid gland sarcoidosis
- Look for signs of Bell's palsy (7th nerve palsy of unknown cause) - e.g. unable to wrinkle forehead or close eye forcefully on affected side, unable to whistle or blow out cheeks.
- Complete examination of the ears, nose and throat looking for rupture of ear drum, ear discharge or evidence of middle ear infection
- If 7th nerve palsy, examine for a blister-like rash on the pharynx or external ear canal that would suggest herpes zoster (shingles) infection of the nerve
- Palpate parotid gland for enlargement
- Peripheral nervous system examination looking for paralysis or weakness of the limbs
- more tests...»
See full list of 26
diagnostic tests for Lack of facial expression
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Lack of facial expression.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had a lack of facial expression? - to determine if acute or chronic.
- Was it a sudden or gradual onset? - e.g. if sudden onset must consider facial paralysis (due to Bell's palsy, diabetic neuropathy and stroke). If gradual onset must consider facial paralysis (due to acoustic neuroma, advancing petrositis, brain tumor or brain abscess).
- Does the lack of facial expression spare the forehead muscles? - e.g. if still able to furrow the brow and wrinkle the forehead, the cause of the lack of facial expression is most likely due to facial paralysis from a brain stroke or brain tumor.
- Is it unilateral or bilateral? - e.g. if both sides of the face are affected, this may suggest facial paralysis ( due to Guillain-Barre syndrome, bilateral parotid disease, primary muscle disease such as Dystrophia myotonica, motor neurone disease and myasthenia gravis).
- How would you explain your mood lately? - may provide information concerning the possibility of depression as a cause of flat affect.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Lack of facial expression (21
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Lack of facial expression) may include:
- Paralysis or weakness of one side of the body? - If paralysis or weakness was of sudden onset consider stroke, extradural or subdural hematoma (blood clot). If weakness of body is on the opposite side to the facial paralysis consider brain stem thrombosis (clot) or hemorrhage (bleed). If the weakness of one side of the body is gradual in onset consider a brain tumor, brain abscess or brain degenerative disease.
- Ear ache or hearing loss? - should consider acoustic neuroma, petrositis, mastoiditis, herpes zoster and cholesteatoma.
- Symptoms of Bell's palsy? - e.g. marked weakness on one side of the face, mouth sags, drooling from the affected side of mouth, loss of taste on front of tongue, eye may water, pain behind the ear.
- Symptoms of depression? - e.g. depressed mood, crying spells, flat affect ( absence of expression on the face), anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure), increase or decrease in appetite (usually decreased), weight loss or gain, insomnia or increased sleeping (usually early morning waking), fatigue, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of excessive guilt, poor concentration, difficulty making decisions, low libido, thoughts of death or suicide attempt.
- Psychotic symptoms? - e.g. hallucinations, delusions, disordered thought - may suggest schizophrenia but people with severe psychotic depression may also experience these symptoms, especially delusions. Blunting of affect is a disorder that may be seen in schizophrenia. The usual modulation of mood is lost, and the person lacks warmth, but does not convey the lowering of affect seen in severely depressed people.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Lack of facial expression (21
listings)
Stories from Users for Lack of facial expression
Real-life user stories relating to Lack of facial expression:
Symptom specific forums:
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Patient Surveys for Lack of facial expression
Drug interactions causing Lack of facial expression:
When combined, certain drugs, medications, substances or toxins may react
causing Lack of facial expression as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
See full list of 1
drug interactions causing Lack of facial expression
Organs affected by Lack of facial expression:
The list of organs typically affected by Lack of facial expression may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Lack of facial expression
The list below shows some of the causes of Lack of facial expression mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 66
causes of Lack of facial expression
How Common are these Causes of Lack of facial expression?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Lack of facial expression.
Of the 66
causes of Lack of facial expression that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 2
causes are "very common" diseases
- 1
causes are "common" diseases
- 3
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 3
causes are "rare" diseases
- 6
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 56
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 66
causes of Lack of facial expression
Conditions listing symptoms: Lack of facial expression:
The following list of conditions
have 'Lack of facial expression' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
Symbols
47,XXX syndrome
... expressionless faceA
Arnold Stickler Bourne syndrome
... expressionless faceArthrogryposis multiplex congenita - pulmonary hypoplasia
... expressionless faceArthrogryposis, distal, type 2A
... expressionless faceAshley syndrome
... lack of facial expressionAsperger syndrome
... few facial expressionsB
Baraitser burn fixen syndrome
... expressionless faceBell's Palsy
... loss of facial expression, expressionless faceBinswanger's Disease
... lack of facial expressionC
Camptodactyly - fibrous tissue hyperplasia - skeletal dysplasia
... expressionless faceCamptodactyly, fibrous tissue hyperplasia, and skeletal dysplasia
... expressionless faceChildhood-Onset Schizophrenia
... lack of facial expressionChromosome 15 Ring
... expressionless faceChromosome 8 trisomy syndrome
... expressionless faceChromosome 8, trisomy
... Expressionless faceE
Erb-Goldflam
... expressionless faceF
Froster-Iskenius-Waterson syndrome
... expressionless faceH
Hereditary Congenital Facial Paresis
... lack of facial expressionHereditary Congenital Facial Paresis 2
... lack of facial expressionHereditary Congenital Facial Paresis I
... lack of facial expressionK
Koussef nichols syndrome
... expressionless faceKousseff-Nichols syndrome
... expressionless faceL
Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome
... expressionless faceLaplane-Fontaine-Lagardere syndrome
... expressionless faceLevy-Yeboa Syndrome
... blank facial expressionM
Marden-Walker Syndrome
... fixed facial expressionMeningitis
... staring expressionMeningococcal disease
... staring expressionMobius syndrome
... lack of facial expressionMoebius Syndrome
... lack of facial expressionMuscular dystrophy - congenital infantile cataract - hypogonadism
... expressionless faceMuscular dystrophy, congenital, infantile with cataract - hypogonadism
... expressionless faceMyasthenia Gravis
... flat expression, facial expression difficultyMöbius syndrome
... lack of facial expressionN
Nasopalpebral lipoma - coloboma syndrome
... expressionless faceNonaffective Psychosis
... Flat affectP
Parkinson's Disease
... fixed facial expressionPena Shokeir syndrome, type 1
... expressionless facePetit mal seizures
... blank expressionPfeiffer-Palm-Teller syndrome
... lack of facial expressionProgressive Supranuclear Palsy
... expressionless faceR
Rigid mask-like face - deafness - polydactyly
... expressionless faceS
Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome
... fixed facial expressionSegawa syndrome, autosomal recessive
... expressionless faceT
Tetrasomy X
... expressionless faceThiolase deficiency
... expressionless faceV
Viral meningitis
... staring expressionVocal cord dysfunction familial
... expressionless faceZ
Zellweger-like syndrome, without peroxisomal anomalies
... expressionless face
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Causes of Lack of facial expression Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Lack of facial expression based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Travel - has the patient travelled recently?
Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Lack of facial expression?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Lack of facial expression, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
Classifications of Lack of facial expression:
Subtypes of Lack of facial expression:
Loss of facial expression (1 cause)
Medical Conditions associated with Lack of facial expression:
Face symptoms (4405 causes), Expressions (65 causes), Smile symptoms (51 causes), Head symptoms (6066 causes)
Symptoms related to Lack of facial expression:
Smile symptoms (51 causes), Face symptoms (4405 causes), Expression symptoms, Facial paralysis (31 causes), Marden-Walker Syndrome, Meningitis (51 causes), Meningococcal disease, Mobius syndrome, Moebius Syndrome, Muscular dystrophy, Hypogonadism (102 causes), Myasthenia Gravis, Möbius syndrome
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Lack of facial expression
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Lack of facial expression and many other medical conditions:
News Archives for Lack of facial expression
Medical news articles related to Lack of facial expression include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Lack of facial expression
Medical research papers related to Lack of facial expression include:
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