Ladies, have you ever seen someone whose smile is crooked or whose eyelids are not completely closed? That's one of the symptoms of Bell's Palsy. Have you ever heard of it? This condition falls under the features of facial paralysis. Why did it happen? See the full explanation in this article.
Definition
Bell's Palsy is a neurological condition that causes paralysis or weakness on one side of the face. The seventh cranial nerve, which controls the facial muscles (also involved in sensation and ear sensation), is injured or no longer works properly. This condition causes one side of the face to droop, like a crooked smile.
Bell's Palsy occurs due to damage to the seventh cranial nerve.
Symptom
Symptoms of Bell's Palsy include sudden paralysis on one side of the face, drooping eyebrows or mouth, drooling on one side of the mouth, and difficulty closing the eyelids. These symptoms cause facial changes that look very significant. These symptoms often appear suddenly within 48-72 hours and improve with or without treatment after a few weeks.
If you get this disease, a person may also experience facial pain in the future, excessive tearing in one eye, problems with the sense of taste, sensitivity to sound, and pain around the jaw or behind the ear, making it difficult to eat, drink and speak. In rare cases, this facial paralysis can go deeper to permanent.
Causes
Both women and men have the same risk of developing Bell's Palsy. Most commonly, this condition occurs between the ages of 15-45 and is more likely to occur in someone with an autoimmune disease, diabetes, pregnant women (especially trimester 3), preeclampsia, obesity, family history of Bell's Palsy, wounds caused by the herpes simplex virus, hypertension, mononucleosis, and shingles.
An inactive viral infection can cause Bell's Palsy, a weakened immune system due to inadequate sleep, stress, physical trauma, a minor illness, or autoimmunity. Other triggers may also be an infection of the facial nerve causing inflammation and damage to the myelin sheath (which protects nerve fibers). When the inflammation has reduced, the nerves begin to function again.
Usually, Bell's Palsy occurs only once in a lifetime; although it can happen more than once, it is rare. In case of relapse, usually within two years after the first incident. The affected side of the face may be the same or opposite to the previous one. This risk will increase if someone in their family has a history of Bell's Palsy.
Pregnant women are more likely to experience Bell's Palsy than those who are not.
Diagnosis
Within 72 hours, the doctor will examine the forehead, eyelids, and mouth muscles for paralysis. There is no specific test to diagnose Bell's Palsy, but another study doctor may need to confirm the diagnosis.
These tests include:
- Electromyography (EMG) is to check nerve damage and identify its severity.
- Blood tests for diabetes or certain infections.
- MRI or CT scan to rule out other structural causes of facial nerve compression and other nerve disorders.
Treatment
There is no way to prevent a person from developing Bell's Palsy, but it may get better without treatment (about 8 out of 10 people). Still, a doctor may recommend one or more therapies to relieve symptoms and accelerate recovery.
Treatments that can be done include:
- Medications such as oral steroids within 72 hours suppress symptoms, reduce inflammation and swelling, and restore facial nerve function. Some people don't respond well to steroids, so the other options are antivirals or prescription analgesics.
- Protect the eye to stay and protect it from dirt and injury using eye drops, ointment, or eye patches.
- Physiotherapy, facial massage, and acupuncture
- Cosmetic surgery to reconstruct defects, such as an eyelid that doesn't close or a crooked smile, even though it is rare.
- Decompression surgery to relieve pressure on the nerves resulting in hearing loss and permanent damage to the facial nerve, is also very rare.
That explains Bell's Palsy even further: sudden paralysis on one side of the face. Get treated as soon as possible, preferably within 48 hours after the first symptoms appear. The paralysis will improve over time. Let's read other articles from Fitie; you can visit the website or download the application!