Understanding Bell's Palsy

Learn about Bell's Palsy from Dr. Steve Pavlakis MD Ped Neuro DrMDK.com

Interviewer: Some people come to pediatricians and they notice the eye in one side’s drooping and it often seems to go to one side. This is termed Bell’s palsy. What is a Bell’s palsy? Interviewee: A Bell’s palsy is a new onset of facial weakness and it is felt to be a problem with a nerve that comes out of the lower part of the scalp that goes to the muscles of the face on one side. And those muscles include the forehead, the eye muscles – the muscles that help close the eye, the muscles of the cheek and the chin, and the muscles that help us cry and smile on that one side. So, if one gets a Bell’s palsy, there will have a weakness of all those muscles because of the nerve being inflamed. Bell’s palsy occurs in children. They occur in adults as well. When a child gets a Bell’s palsy, it is almost invariably, if not invariably, makes a very good perfect recovery. It is very, very, very rare for a child to have a Bell’s palsy that does not get better over weeks to months. Sometimes it can take eight months. It typically takes a month or two but most children make a fault of very near of full recovery without treatment, indeed. Interviewer: What is the cause of Bell’s palsy? Interviewee: No one knows but it is felt to be an inflammation. Some of them are probably caused by viruses, occasionally can be caused by Lyme disease. And in certain parts of the country, if one gets a Bell’s palsy, a line tighters obtain them. Sometimes, in certain parts of the country, you might just treat for Lyme disease until you know of this Lyme disease. Although the treatment for Bell’s palsy and Lyme is somewhat controversial and there is a difference on approaches to that. But most Bell’s palsies in children probably do not need treatment very often if you have a very complete Bell’s. And at the first two days, some doctors would give steroids for a week or two but children do very well in contrast with adults who have a very high rate of permanent facial weakness which can be cosmetic and really can affect someone. Children do very well and furthermore, most children once they have the Bell’s and recover, do not have a recurrence. Only 3% will go on and have a second event. Interviewer: Thank you.