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By Barbara Kunz, Ph.D., HealthAtoZ writer
Every year, thousands of Americans suffer from Bell's palsy. They wake up one morning with one side of their face numb or even paralyzed. They can move their eyes and focus properly, but can no longer produce tears. If no other parts of the body are affected, chances are they are experiencing Bell's palsy. The Scottish physician Charles Bell described this condition more than 200 years ago.
The onset doesn't have to be so dramatic. Sometimes the paralysis starts with a tingling feeling at the corner of the mouth and spreads slowly over half of the face during the next 48 hours.
Causes
The cause of Bells palsy is an injury to the 7th cranial nerve. This nerve exits the skull near the ear and splits into thousands of small nerve fibers. These nerves spread to the face, neck, tongue and the salivary glands. They control facial expressions and the muscles of the forehead. They also control tear glands, saliva glands in the front of the mouth and taste sensation at the tip of the tongue. They do not control the muscles used in eye movement, so sight is not affected. They also control the perception of sound. Voices may suddenly seem too loud.
Injury to the 7th nerve can occur during surgery or a blow to the head. Most of the time, it is caused by an infection of the nerve or in the fallopian canal, through which the nerve travels. The fallopian canal is already narrow. When the body's immune system fights the infection, the resulting swelling further narrows the canal, pinching and injuring the nerve.
A bacterial ear infection can also lead to Bell's palsy. In this case, antibiotics will fight the infection.
Lyme disease, caused by a tick bite, can also be the cause of the infection.
Treatment
Treatment of Bell's palsy concentrates on fighting the infection. Often the cause is the Herpes simplex 1 virus, which is responsible for cold sores. Antiviral drugs can speed up recovery.
The outcome for patients with Bell's palsy is generally very good. The extent of nerve damage determines how well and how fast they recover. Once the infection has cleared up, muscle control in the face usually returns within three to six months.
Bell's palsy is not contagious. It can be a considerable blow to one's self-esteem, however. Patients can go back to work as soon as they feel up to it. Special care should be taken to protect the eyes. They can get very dry and cannot be cleaned by blinking. Eye drops and dark glasses may bring relief.
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