by S. F. Heron

Created on: April 05, 2008   Last Updated: May 13, 2008

What is Bell's Palsy?

Bell's Palsy is a sudden weakness or paralysis of one side of the face. This paralysis is temporary and exclusive to the face. Pain and discomfort are usually present and many patients feel pain in or behind the ear. Only rarely are both sides of the face affected at the same time. Over 40,000 Americans experience Bell's Palsy paralysis each year.

Bell's Palsy is characterized by a drooping of the muscles on the affected side of the face. This is caused by an inability to direct the facial muscles due to damage to the 7th cranial nerve. This nerve controls the muscles that move the eyebrows and control eye movements (open and close lids) and lips and mouth movement. It also controls tear glands, the salivary gland on the affected side, and the front of the tongue.

Temporary facial paralysis is caused by a disruption of electrochemical signals that are sent between the brain and the facial muscles. Physical injury, viral infection, or diseases can cause Bell's Palsy. An onset of paralysis is not related to a stroke.

Symptoms and Characteristics

Bell's Palsy is a devastating illness to many because it affects the appearance so drastically. It's believed that a possible trigger for the sudden onset is stress. Many people see marked improvement in their paralysis within weeks, with 80 percent seeing a full recovery within 3 months. There are very few cases where individuals have not recovered from Bell's Palsy.

You might experience a few or all of the following symptoms:

-Drooling
-Tearing eyes or dry eyes
-Loss of taste
-Pain in or behind the ear
-Headache
-Numbness on the affected side of the face
-Runny nose
-Speech difficulty
-Tingling of the lips
-Swelling
-Increased sensitivity to sound

Causes

Ball's Palsy can be caused by disorders such as Lyme's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis (autoimmune disease of the central nervous system), Guillain Barre Syndrome (nerve disorder that causes paralysis), Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (herpes zoster virus that affects the facial nerves), myasthenia gravis (neuromuscular disorder that causes muscle weakness), diabetes, or tuberculosis. Trauma to the head or face, tumor complications, flu, cold or mononucleosis viruses can also trigger Bell's Palsy.

Treatment

There is no cure for Bell's Palsy. Most doctors aim to provide some kind of comfort to the patient, in addition to easing symptoms. The most important part of treatment is inside a patient's head. Bell's Palsy can be temporarily disfiguring, frustrating, and embarrassing. It's

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>