What is Bell’s Palsy ?

• The paralysis or weakness of the nerve that controls the facial muscles on the side of the face.

A condition that affects movement of the muscles in the face.

• The muscles are affected by damage to the seventh cranial nerve controlling them.

What is the facial nerve?

What caused Bell’s Palsy?

A virus - experts believe it is most likely caused by a virus, usually the herpes virus, which inflames the nerve.

The herpes virus is the one that also causes cold sores and genital herpes.

Other viruses have also been linked to Bell's palsy, including the chickenpox and shingles viruses, which are both related to the herpes virus.

• Inflammation - The cause of the inflammation is not known but, in most cases, it is probably due to a viral infection.

• Inflammation develops around the facial nerve as it passes through the skull from the brain.

• The inflammation may squash (compress) the nerve as it passes through the skull. The nerve then partly, or fully, stops working until the inflammation goes. If the nerve stops working, the muscles that the nerve supplies also stop working.

What are the symptoms of Bell's palsy?

• Sudden paralysis/weakness in one side of the face.

• It may be difficult or impossible to close one of the eyelids.

• Irritation in the eye because it does not blink and becomes too dry. Changes in the amount of tears the eye produces.

• Parts of the face may droop, such as one side of the mouth.

• Drooling from one side of the mouth. The amount of saliva produced changes.

• Difficulty with facial expressions.

• Sense of taste may become altered.

• An affected ear may lead to sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis). Sounds seem louder.

• Pain in front or behind the ear on the affected side.

• Headache

• Lost the ability of taste

• Your doctor may diagnose Bell's palsy by asking you questions, such as about how your symptoms developed. He or she will also give you a physical and neurological exam to check facial nerve function.

• If the cause of your symptoms is not clear, you may need other tests, such as blood tests, an MRI, or a CT scan.

Those who haven't may have more serious nerve damage, and will require further treatment, they are:

• 1. Prednisolone - this steroid is effective in reducing inflammation, which helps accelerate the recovery of the affected nerve.

• 2. Eye lubrication - if the patient is not blinking properly the eye will be exposed and tears will evaporate. Some patients will experience a reduction in tear production. The doctor will prescribe artificial tears in the form of eye drops and also an ointment.

1. Mime Therapy2. Plastic Surgery 3. Botox

What are the complications of Bell's palsy?

• Misdirected re-growth of nerve fibers: nerve fibers re-grow in an irregular way. A patient may involuntarily close one eye when trying to smile.

• Ageusia: chronic (long-lasting) loss of taste.

• Gustatolacrimal reflex: also known as crocodile tear syndrome. While the patient is eating his/her eye will shed tears.

• Corneal ulceration: when eyelids cannot completely shut, the protective and lubricating tear film of the eye may become ineffective. This can result in corneal drying. Corneal ulceration can result in infection of the cornea, which can lead to severe loss of vision.

Who get’s Bell’s Palsy?

• Anyone can get Bell's palsy, and it affects both men and women equally.

• It most commonly occurs between the ages of 10 and 40. Bell's palsy is the most common cause of a sudden facial

weakness.

The effect

Symptoms of Bell's palsy include:

1. Difficulty closing one eye all the way

2. Dryness in one eye

3. Trouble tasting at the front of the tongue on the affected side

4. Changes in the amount of saliva or drooling

5. Hearing sounds that seem louder than usual in one ear

Bell's palsy affects only the face, so if a person has weakness or symptoms in other parts of the body, the problem has another cause.

The Progress of Bell’s Palsy

The symptoms usually start to improve after about 2-3 weeks, and have usually gone within two months. In some cases, it can take up to twelve months to recover fully. In some cases, symptoms do not completely go

Need any Test?

• No tests may be needed. However, some tests are done in some situations.

• For example:

In areas where Lyme disease is common, then tests to rule out Lyme disease may be done.

This is because a facial weakness is, rarely, the first indication of Lyme disease. Other tests may be advised if the diagnosis is not clear-cut.

Sources:

• http://www.patient.co.uk/health/bells-palsy

• http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/brain_nervous/bells_palsy.html#

• http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/bells-palsy-topic-overview

• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bells-palsy/basics/definition/con-20020529

• http://www.healthline.com/health/bells-palsy#Overview1