Bell’s PalsyBy Lauren Viola, Andy horan, David Na, Camercon Zachary

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What is Bell’s Palsy?• Temporary facial paralysis caused by damage to the

7th cranial nerve (facial nerve)

• Usually only one side of the face is affected and you have trouble closing your eye and producing tears, controlling drooling and movement of the mouth.

Who discovered Bell’s Palsy?

• Named for Sir Charles Bell, a 19th century surgeon

Signs and Symptoms•Facial droop and difficulty making facial expressions•Pain behind or in front of your ear on the affected side•Changes in the amount of tears or saliva your body produces •Tingling around lips or eye

Signs and Symptoms

•Headache•Loss of taste•Difficulty closing eye on affected side•Facial swellling

How Long are You Affected?

• Most people start to improve in a few weeks and completely recover in 3-6 months

• Some people average of recovering is 6-8 weeks but continue to see symptoms and have reoccurrences throughout their life

Who Does it Affect?• About 40,000 people

in US are affected per year

• Affects approximately 1 in 65 persons in a life time

• More common in people of Japanese decent and young adults.

Complications

• Disfigurement from paralysis• Chronic Taste abnormalities• Spasm of eye and facial muscles

Complications

• Damage to eye or infection– Corneal ulcers- erosion or open sore in the outer

layer of the cornea

• Synkinesis -Involuntary movement accompanying a voluntary one

Cause of the Bell’s palsyInflamation that causes pressure on the Facial Nerve, which effect the Facial Muscles.

TriggersMost common is HIVAcoustic neuroma Inner Ear InfectionHerpes Simple Virus (HSV-1)TumorSkull FractureExposure to certain Bacteria

•Otitis media•Lyme Disease

Triggers

Herpes Simple Virus

Treatment for the Bell’s palsy• Three major ways of treating bell’s palsy

– If it’s minor, it could be fixed by itself.– For virus, doctor subscribes antiviral drugs, such as acyclovir

– For inflammation, subscribe corticosteroids, such as prednisone

Minor Bell’s palsy

• If it’s minor Bell’s palsy it usually goes away within three weeks– First 2 weeks will be heal by itself, and than first the last

week, it will heal to full recovery– Patients just need well rest and nutrients food

• Cautious about minor Bell’s Palsy– Some patients will think that they have minor Bell’s palsy,

but the problem is that, if it’s not, their face will paralyze and it won’t be heal, such as like twitching lips, tearing eyes, or spasms of the face or eyelids.

Treatment: Virus

• Doctor subscribes Antiviral drugs– Acyclovir– famciclovir– Valacyclovir

• Doctor use this so this drugs could destroy active virus that copy virus to other, and prevent much more danger to the facial nerve.

• But there is no hundred percent result that antiviral drugs will be affective for the treatment.

Treatment: inflammation

• Other than causing by virus, it could also be caused by inflammation

• doctor will subscribe corticosteroids to reduce inflammation– Prednisone

Other treatment

• Some patients can not close their eye, where they had been affected– Doctor will prescribe artificial tears and using eye patch during

the day to keep their eye moist.

• At night patients have to use other things– Doctor will recommend the use of eye lubricants or viscous

ointments while taping the eye shut.

Other Treatment II

• For some patients, it could develop permanent facial paralysis– Surgery– Physical therapy

• Doctor may recommend surgery, if patients have bell’s palsy for 6 to 12 months with no improvement, – Surgery could potentially help their

appearance and part of the muscles• Transferring normal tissues to the affected place,

such as lip

Occupations, who can treat patients

• Family medicine physicians• Internists• Neurologists• Physician assistants • Nurse practitioners

Credit for EVERYTHING!!

• http://www.bellspalsy.ws/treatment.htm • http://health.yahoo.com/nervous-

treatment/bell-s-palsy-treatment-overview/healthwise--hw179238.html

• Bupa• NINDS• Bell’s Palsy Information Site• WebMD