what do u know about bell palsy?
By sejakuvara
@sejakuvara (20)
China
March 12, 2009 3:16am CST
Bell's palsy is a paralysis of cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) resulting in inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Several conditions can cause a facial paralysis, e.g., brain tumor, stroke, and Lyme disease. However, if no specific cause can be identified, the condition is known as Bell's Palsy. Named after Scottish anatomist Charles Bell, who first described it, Bell's palsy is the most common acute mononeuropathy (disease involving only one nerve), and is the most common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis.
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5 responses
@rapatod (20)
• China
12 Mar 09
Bell's palsy (or facial palsy) is characterized by facial drooping on the affected half, due to malfunction of the facial nerve (VII cranial nerve), which controls the muscles of the face. Facial palsy is typified by inability to control movement in the facial muscles. The paralysis is of the infranuclear/lower motor neuron type.
The facial nerves control a number of functions, such as blinking and closing the eyes, smiling, frowning, lacrimation, and salivation. They also innervate the stapedial (stapes) muscles of the middle ear and carry taste sensations from the anterior two thirds of the tongue.
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@agmamayo (804)
• Philippines
12 Mar 09
Bell's Palsy or the so called Facial Nerve Paralysis is a condition that causes weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles, due to a trauma on the cranial nerve 7 (facial nerve) and it is not permanent, meaning the paralysis can be reversed or corrected. Approximately about .02% of the total population worldwide is affected, meaning 1 in every 5000 people can have Bell's Palsy. The incidence of Bell's Palsy among male and females are the same, the incidence, severity and recovery rate is equal to both genders. Ages afflicted by the disorder has a higher probabillity to occur among older people, however children can also be affected but has greater rate of recovery. It has also a higher occurence among those who are suffering from diabetes, those having compromised immune systems like in HIV patients and AIDS, those undergoing chemotherapy, and sarcoidosis has the greatest risks. Usually, one side of the face is affected, but about 1% of the cases has bilateral Bell's Palsy. The symptoms progress very rapidly if not treated. However, depending on the severity of the trauma inflicted on the nerve, the milder the trauma the faster the rate of recovery. Early symptoms may include neck pain, or a pain behind the ear. Then it progresses to a tingling around the lips and drying of the eye on the affected side of the face.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
12 Mar 09
Boy every one so far has done a lot of research on Bell's Palsy. My grandmother had Bell's Palsy back in the seventies. The family and she thought that she had had a stroke. She recovered on her own after seeing the and it being diagnosed as bell's palsy.I think it took something like a couple of weeks. She sure was scared that it was a stroke.
@sejakuvadra (20)
• China
12 Mar 09
Clinicians should determine whether the forehead muscles are spared. Due to an anatomical peculiarity, forehead muscles receive innervation from both sides of the brain. The forehead can therefore still be wrinkled by a patient whose facial palsy is caused by a problem in one of the hemispheres of the brain (central facial palsy). If the problem resides in the facial nerve itself (peripheral palsy) all nerve signals are lost, including to the forehead
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