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What is Bell's Palsy?
Bell's palsy is a condition in which the facial muscles are weakened or partly paralyzed by damage to the facial nerves. Bell's palsy affects approximately one person out of 5,000 each year, with women being slightly more likely to experience the condition than men. The symptoms of Bell's Palsy often develop following a cold or other viral illness.
What causes the damage to the facial nerves that leads to Bell's palsy?
Medical researchers do not yet know for certain what causes this condition, but at present most believe that it probably is caused by inflammation of the facial nerves following a viral infection. The suspected agent is the herpes simplex I virus, the same one that causes fever blisters. Other suspects are tumors, trauma (injury) to the facial nerves, or a sudden spasm constricting a blood vessel. Some people may even have a hereditary predisposition to develop Bell's palsy under certain conditions.
What are the signs of Bell's palsy?
The most common symptom of Bell's palsy is drooping of the mouth or eyelids. Usually only one side of the face is affected. The weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles often occurs quite suddenly, although a gradual weakening of the muscles is also common. The affected nerves may send inappropriate signals to other parts of the face, causing tearing, drooling, or a running nose.
Is there a treatment for Bell's palsy?
Some doctors prescribe corticosteroids, but there is no evidence that this treatment is effective. The antiviral drug acyclovir is also being tested as a possible treatment. However, many doctors recommend that the patient simply wait, because most sufferers (70-75%) recover spontaneously and achieve full recovery, usually within days or even hours of the onset of symptoms.
Because a person with Bell's palsy may not be able to close one or both eyelids for awhile, a doctor may prescribe moisturizing eyedrops or an ophthalmic ointment to soothe dryness and irritation.
What happens to those who don't fully recover?
About 15% do achieve a satisfactory, though not complete, degree of recovery. Another 10%, however, suffer from long-term paralysis of their facial muscles. For those patients who never fully recover nerve function, the best treatment is plastic surgery, to restore the normal appearance of the mouth and eyelids.
Do symptoms ever recur?
About 10% of previous sufferers will experience a recurrence of symptoms, but for most people, Bell's palsy strikes only once. If the symptoms occur suddenly, are accompanied by facial pain, and affect the whole face rather than just one side, then there is a greater likelihood of recurrence or of residual effects.
The sudden onset of facial paralysis can be very frightening, but for most people who experience the symptoms of Bell's palsy, the condition is temporary, does not recur, and leaves no lasting effects.
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