Bell's palsy causes sudden weakness in your facial muscles. This makes half of your face appear to droop. Your smile is one-sided, and your eye on that side resists closing. Bell's palsy, also known as facial palsy, can occur at any age. The exact cause is unknown, but it's believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of your face. It may be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection. For most people, Bell's palsy is temporary. Symptoms usually start to improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in about six months. A small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell's palsy can recur. please comment thank u

1. PRESENTED BY
MARTIN SHAJI
PHARM D
BELL'S PALSY
symptoms | causes | management | medical information|
a brief study

2. Bell's palsy causes sudden weakness in your facial muscles.This makes
half of your face appear to droop.Your smile is one-sided, and your eye
on that side resists closing.
Bell's palsy, also known as facial palsy, can occur at any age.The exact
cause is unknown, but it's believed to be the result of swelling and
inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of your
face. It may be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection.
For most people, Bell's palsy is temporary. Symptoms usually start to
improve within a few weeks, with complete recovery in about six
months. A small number of people continue to have some Bell's palsy
symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell's palsy can recur.
Introduction | Definition

3. Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of Bell's palsy come on suddenly and may include:
Rapid onset of mild weakness to total paralysis on one side of your face —
occurring within hours to days
Facial droop and difficulty making facial expressions, such as closing your
eye or smiling
Drooling

4. Pain around the jaw or in or behind your ear on the affected side
Increased sensitivity to sound on the affected side
Headache
A decrease in your ability to taste
Changes in the amount of tears and saliva you produce
In rare cases, Bell's palsy can affect the nerves on both sides of your face.

5. When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical help if you experience any type of paralysis
because you may be having a stroke. Bell's palsy is not caused by a stroke.
See your doctor if you experience facial weakness or drooping to
determine the underlying cause and severity of the illness.

6. Causes
Although the exact reason Bell's palsy occurs isn't clear, it's often linked to
exposure to a viral infection.Viruses that have been linked to Bell's palsy
include the virus that causes:
Cold sores and genital herpes (herpes simplex)
Chickenpox and shingles (herpes zoster)
Mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr)
Cytomegalovirus infections

7. Respiratory illnesses (adenovirus)
German measles (rubella)
Mumps (mumps virus)
Flu (influenza B)
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (coxsackievirus)
With Bell's palsy, the nerve that controls your facial muscles, which passes
through a narrow corridor of bone on its way to your face, becomes inflamed
and swollen — usually related to a viral infection. Besides facial muscles, the
nerve affects tears, saliva, taste and a small bone in the middle of your ear.

8. Risk Factors
Bell's palsy occurs more often in people who:
Are pregnant, especially during the third trimester, or who are in the first
week after giving birth
Have an upper respiratory infection, such as the flu or a cold
Have diabetes
Also, some people who have recurrent attacks of Bell's palsy, which are rare,
have a family history of recurrent attacks. In those cases, there may be a
genetic predisposition to Bell's palsy.

9. Complications
A mild case of Bell's palsy normally disappears within a month, but recovery
from a more severe case involving total paralysis varies. Complications may
include:
Irreversible damage to your facial nerve
Misdirected regrowth of nerve fibers, resulting in involuntary contraction of
certain muscles when you're trying to move others (synkinesis) — for
example, when you smile, the eye on the affected side may close
Partial or complete blindness of the eye that won't close due to excessive
dryness and scratching of the cornea, the clear protective covering of the eye

10. Preparing For Your Appointment
You'll likely start by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner.
However, in some cases when you call to set up an appointment, you may be
referred immediately to a neurologist.
It's good to prepare for your appointment. Here's some information to help
you get ready.

11. Tests And Diagnosis
There's no specific test for Bell's palsy.Your doctor will look at your face
and ask you to move your facial muscles by closing your eyes, lifting your
brow, showing your teeth and frowning, among other movements.
Other conditions — such as a stroke, infections, Lyme disease and tumors
— can also cause facial muscle weakness, mimicking Bell's palsy. If it's not
clear why you're having the symptoms you are, your doctor may
recommend other tests, including:

12. Electromyography (EMG).
This test can confirm the presence of nerve damage and determine its
severity. An EMG measures the electrical activity of a muscle in response
to stimulation and the nature and speed of the conduction of electrical
impulses along a nerve.
Imaging scans.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT)
may be needed on occasion to rule out other possible sources of pressure
on the facial nerve, such as a tumor or skull fracture.

13. Treatments And Drugs
Most people with Bell's palsy recover fully — with or without treatment.
There's no one-size-fits-all treatment for Bell's palsy, but your doctor may
suggest medications or physical therapy to help speed your recovery.
Surgery is rarely an option for Bell's palsy.

14. Medications
Commonly used medications to treat Bell's palsy include:
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are powerful anti-inflammatory agents. If
they can reduce the swelling of the facial nerve, it will fit more comfortably
within the bony corridor that surrounds it. Corticosteroids may work best if
they're started within several days of when your symptoms started.
Antiviral drugs. The role of antivirals remains unsettled. Antivirals alone have
shown no benefit compared with placebo. Antivirals added to steroids are also
unlikely to be beneficial.

15. However, despite this, valacyclovir (Valtrex) is sometimes given in
combination with prednisone in people with severe facial palsy.
Physical therapy
Paralyzed muscles can shrink and shorten, causing permanent
contractures. A physical therapist can teach you how to massage and
exercise your facial muscles to help prevent this from occurring.

16. Surgery
In the past, decompression surgery was used to relieve the pressure
on the facial nerve by opening the bony passage that the nerve
passes through.Today, decompression surgery isn't recommended.
Facial nerve injury and permanent hearing loss are possible risks
associated with this surgery.
In rare cases, plastic surgery may be needed to correct lasting facial
nerve problems.

17. Lifestyle And Home Remedies
Home treatment may include:
Protecting the eye you can't close. Using lubricating eye drops during the day
and an eye ointment at night will help keep your eye moist. Wearing glasses or
goggles during the day and an eye patch at night can protect your eye from
getting poked or scratched.
Taking over-the-counter pain relievers. Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB,
others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may help ease your pain.

18. Applying moist heat. Putting a washcloth soaked in warm water on your
face several times a day may help relieve pain.
Doing your physical therapy exercises. Massaging and exercising your face
according to your physical therapist's advice may help relax your facial
muscles.

19. Alternative Medicine
Although there's little scientific evidence to support the use of
alternative medicine for people with Bell's palsy, some people with the
condition may benefit from the following:
Relaxation techniques. Relaxing by using techniques such as meditation
and yoga may relieve muscle tension and chronic pain.
Vitamin therapy.Vitamins B-12, B-6 and zinc may help nerve growth.

20. Each facial nerve directs muscles on one side of the
face, including those that control blinking and facial
expressions, and when Bell’s palsy occurs,
messages from the brain to the facial muscles are
disrupted, causing facial weakness or paralysis.
While facial weakness is the most obvious symptom
of Bell's palsy, sufferers may also experience
sensitivity to sound and changes in taste, Amit
Sachdev, M.D., an assistant professor and director
of the division of neuromuscular medicine at
Michigan State University, tells SELF.
Bell’s palsy happens more often than you'd think—it
affects about 40,000 Americans each year, per the
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke—but it occurs equally in men and women.
It’s also more likely to happen in someone before
the age of 15 and after the age of 60. Bell’s palsy
happens more often with people who have the flu,
a cold, diabetes, or are pregnant. However, it can
happen to anyone.
Angelina Jolie has been candid
about her health struggles, including a double
mastectomy and removal of her ovaries and
fallopian tubes, which shifted her into early
menopause. Now, she’s revealing a new
condition she’s faced: Bell’s palsy.
In a new interview withVanity Fair, Jolie said
that last year she developed both
hypertension (aka high blood pressure) and
Bell’s palsy, which caused one side of her face
to droop.
"I can't tell if it's menopause or if it's just been
the year I've had," she said, adding that she's
also noticed more gray hairs and dryer skin.
"Sometimes women in families put
themselves last until it manifests itself in their
own health." In the past year, Jolie, 42,
separated from Brad Pitt and says she and her
family are "healing" in the wake of the
couple's divorce.