General Health Information - Bell's Palsy

Hello Everyone,

My last two posts have covered strokes and recognition of strokes. A colleague of mine wrote and stated that it would be a good idea to cover Bell's Palsy since the symptoms are often confused with that of a stroke.

What is Bell's Palsy?

Bell's palsy is paralysis of the face caused by an irritation of cranial nerve VII (seven). It occurs with no apparent cause. Cranial nerve VII controls most facial muscles, including those needed to smile, blink, and wrinkle the forehead. The nerve also controls the function of certain salivary glands and the lacrimal (tear) glands as well as the tiny muscles inside the ear that dampen loud noises. The nerve also controls the function of some salivary glands and the lacrimal (tear) glands. This does not include the facial paralysis associated with known causes such as infection or stroke.

Some evidence suggests that the cause is inflammation of cranial nerve VII is triggered by a viral infection, possibly a virus in the herpes family. People with diabetes or high blood pressure, and pregnant women, are at slightly greater risk, but most patients have no known predisposing factors

The classic symptom of Bell's palsy is weakness on one side of the face. The weakness may range from difficulty blinking all the way to a complete paralysis on one side of the face with an inability to close the eye. Onset usually occurs acutely, but the weakness may worsen for 24 to 48 hours before stabilizing

Most patients with Bell’s palsy recover completely or or some have minimal lasting effects, even without treatment. The percentage may increase with medical treatment.

Using the S-T- R stroke identification method one would find a patient with Bell's Palsy unable to Smile. However, they would probably be able to Talk and form complete sentences and would be able to Raise their arms.

Facial paralysis does not always indicate Bell's Palsy. It is best to have a patient evaluated by their physician to rule out other causes of facial paralysis.

Hopefully this information will help distinguish different situations you may run into.

Please email me if you have any questions.

Dr. Paul