Bell's palsy causes sudden weakness on one side of the face due to swelling and inflammation of the facial nerve, likely due to a viral infection. Symptoms include facial drooping, inability to smile or close an eye. While usually temporary, some experience permanent symptoms. Treatment involves corticosteroids and antivirals to reduce swelling and stop virus progression. Physical therapy helps prevent muscle atrophy. Surgery is no longer recommended due to risk of nerve damage.

1. Presentedby-
Shreya Yadav
NursingTutor

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.

3. 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.

4. Bell's palsy is temporary.
Symptoms usually start to
improve within a few weeks,
with complete recovery in
about six months. sometimes it
continue to have Bell's palsy
symptoms for life. Rarely, Bell's
palsy can recur.

5. Right side
facial
palsy

6. Although the exact reason
Bell's palsy occurs isn't clear,
it's often linked to exposure to
a viral infection.

7.  Cold sores and genital herpes (herpes
simplex)
 Chickenpox and shingles (herpes
zoster)
 Mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr)
 Cytomegalovirus infections
 Respiratory illnesses (adenovirus)
 German measles (rubella)
 Mumps (mumps virus)
 Flu (influenza B)
 Hand-foot-and-mouth disease
(coxsackievirus)

8. 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.

9. Facial
nerve
anatomy

11. 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 — making it difficult to smile or
close your eye on the affected side
• Facial droop and difficulty making facial
expressions
• 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

12. Signs
and
sympto
ms

13. In rare cases, Bell's
palsy can affect the
nerves on both
sides of your face

14. 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

15. 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.
Test and
diagnosis.

16. 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

17. your doctor may recommend other
tests, including:
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. X-ray imaging, 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.

18. Although a mild case of Bell's palsy normally
disappears within a month, recovery from a
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
Complicatio
ns

19. 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.

20. • Antiviral drugs, such as acyclovir (Zovirax) or
valacyclovir (Valtrex), may stop the progression
of the infection if a virus is known to have
caused it. This treatment may be offered only if
your facial paralysis is severe.

21. 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.

22. 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.