Bell's palsy is a temporary form of facial paralysis that occurs with damage to the nerve that controls movement of the muscles in the face.
Alternative NamesFacial palsy; Idiopathic peripheral facial palsy
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsBell's palsy is a form of cranial mononeuropathy VII. It is the most common type of this nerve damage. Bell's palsy affects about 2 in 10,000 people.
Bell's palsy involves damage to the seventh cranial (facial) nerve. This nerve controls the movement of the muscles of the face. The cause is often not clear, although herpes infections may be involved.
Bell's palsy is thought to be linked to swelling (inflammation) of the nerve in the area where it travels through the bones of the skull. Other conditions related to Bell's palsy include:
SymptomsSymptoms usually start suddenly, and range from mild to severe. They may include:
Other causes of cranial mononeuropathy VII, such as head injury and tumor, need to be ruled out.
TreatmentIn many cases, no treatment is needed. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms.
Corticosteroids or antiviral (acyclovir and valacyclovir) medications may reduce swelling and relieve pressure on the facial nerve. You must take these drugs early (preferably within 24 hours of when symptoms start) for them to be most effective. However, there are no published studies showing that antiviral medications speed up or improve recovery from Bell's palsy.
Your health care provider may recommend lubricating eye drops or eye ointments to protect the eye if you cannot close it completely. You may need to wear an eye patch during sleep.
Surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve (decompression surgery) is controversial and has not been shown to routinely benefit people with Bell's palsy.
Expectations (prognosis)About 60 - 80% of cases go away completely within a few weeks to months. Sometimes the condition results in permanent changes. The disorder is not life threatening.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider right away if your face droops or you have other symptoms of Bell's palsy. Your health care provider can rule out other, more serious conditions, such as stroke.
PreventionSafety measures may reduce the risk of head injury. Many of the other factors that lead to this disorder are not preventable.
ReferencesTiemstra JD, Khatkhate N. Bell's palsy: diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2007;76:997-1002.
Bell's palsy is a disorder of the nerve that controls movement of the muscles in the face.
Damage to this nerve causes weakness or paralysis of these muscles. Paralysismeans that you cannot use the muscles at all.
Alternative NamesFacial palsy; Idiopathic peripheral facial palsy; Cranial mononeuropathy
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsBell's palsy affects about 30,000 - 40,000 people a year in the United States.
Bell's palsy involves damage to the seventh cranial (facial) nerve. This nerve controls the movement of the muscles of the face.
Bell's palsy is thought to be due to swelling (inflammation) of this nerve in the area where it travels through the bones of the skull.
The cause is often not clear. A type of herpes infection called herpes zoster might be involved. Other conditions that may cause Bell's palsy include:
SymptomsSometimes you may have a cold shortly before the symptoms of Bell's palsy begin.
Symptoms most often start suddenly, but may take 2 - 3 days to show up. They do not become more severe after that.
Symptoms are almost always on one side only. They may range from mild to severe.
The face will feel stiff or pulled to one side, and may look different. Other symptoms can include:
Other symptoms that may occur:
Often, Bell's palsy can be diagnosed just by taking a health history and doing a complete physical exam.
If your health care provider is worried that a brain tumor is causing your symptoms, you may need:
Sometimes, you will need a test to check the nerves that supply the muscles of your face:
Often, no treatment is needed. Symptoms often begin to improve right away. However, it may take weeks or even months for the muscles to get stronger, and this may be frustrating.
Your health care provider may give you lubricating eye drops or eye ointments to keep the surface of the eye moist if you cannot close it completely. You may need to wear an eye patch while you sleep.
Sometimes medicines may be used, but it is not clear how much they help. If medicines are used, they should be started right away.
Surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve (decompression surgery) is controversial and has not been shown to routinely benefit people with Bell's palsy.
Expectations (prognosis)Most cases go away completely within a few weeks to months.
If you did not lose all of your nerve function and symptoms began to improve within 3 weeks, you're more likely to regain all or most of the strength in your facial muscles.
Sometimes, the following symptoms still may be present:
Excess drying of the eye surface, leading to eye ulcers or infections.
Calling your health care providerCall your health care provider right away if your face droops or you have other symptoms of Bell's palsy. Your health care provider can rule out other, more serious conditions, such as stroke.
PreventionThere is no known way to prevent Bell's palsy.
Referencesde Almeida JR, Al Khabori M, Guyatt GH, Witterick IJ, Lin VY, Nedzelski JM, et al. Combined corticosteroid and antiviral treatment for Bell palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;302:985-993.
Shy ME. Peripheral neuropathies. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 446.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 07/12/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Anatomy, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
She has never had bells palsy
No. Bells Palsy is not a directly communicable disease. It may be caused by a virus, but the effect is not direct.
There are a number of different types of palsy. These include Cerebral Palsy, Bells Palsy, Bulbar Palsy, Erbs Palsy, etc. They all involve some form of paralyis and lesions on motor neurons. The most common or well known forms are Cerebral Palsy and Bells Palsy.
No, he has Bell's Palsy...
no
yes
Bell's palsy is not contagious, and no special precautions should be taken.
Avoiding Cereal Grain has not been proven to improve bells palsy. However b12 injections or tablets may help improve bells palsy it works on the neurolgical system.
Bells palsy
not properly the can smile on one side
According to the Mayo Clinic, botox is not likely to cause Bells palsy. Some of the known causes of this disease include: cold sores, mononucleoisis, and German measles.
It is unlikely. Bell's Palsy really only affects the trigeminal and/or facial nerves of the face.