Bell's Palsy: The Unexplainable Disorder

Bell’s Palsy is a rare unexplained episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis that begins suddenly and worsens over three to five days. This condition results from damage to the 7th (facial) cranial nerve, and pain and discomfort usually occurs on one side of the face or head.

How do you get it? 

The cause of Bell’s Palsy is unknown. Generally it is thought to be caused by a viral infection such as Herpes Simplex II (Cold sore), stress, influenza or a flu-like illness, and trauma such as skull fracture or facial injury.

Who Gets It? 

Anyone can get Bell’s Palsy, but it is highest in pregnant women, diabetics, and those who between the ages of 16 and 60. This nerve disorder affects about 40,000 US adults and children each year. Bell's palsy strikes men and woman equally.

Diagnosis: 

Diagnosing Bell’s Palsy is mainly the elimination of other things. Usually an X-ray of the skull will help. There are no lab tests available. Mainly the person will be required to person some basic face skills like smile, blink; close the eye without assistance, etc.
Further, they need to make sure that it is limited to the face and not the rest of the body. If it has affected somewhere below the neck, then it is not Bell’s Palsy. Generally, it is quick to diagnose if it was a quick onset.

Symptoms: 

• disordered movement of the muscles that control facial expressions such as smiling, squinting, blinking, or closing the eyelid
• loss of feeling in the face
• headache
• tearing
• drooling
• loss of the sense of taste on the front two-thirds of the tongue
• hypersensitivity to sound in the affected ear
• inability to close the eye on the affected side of the face

The symptoms vary from person to person. Some have a quick onset, while others show a progression over a few days. It can be as intense as waking up in the morning to see your face seems frozen, and you are in a lot of pain. The side of the face that has been affected is drooped downward, there may be difficulty closing the eye, the inability to smile, and drooling when eating or drinking.