Disease relevance of Bell Palsy

• To ascertain their relative frequency and significance, we studied prospectively 74 consecutive patients with late Lyme disease, with and without PNS symptoms: 53% had intermittent limb paraesthesiae, 25% the carpal tunnel syndrome, 8% painful radiculopathy, and 3% Bell's palsy; 39% had disseminated neurophysiological abnormalities [1].
• Progressive facial nerve fibrosis--recurrent or slowly progressive facial paralysis: atypical Bell's palsy (lima bean in a pea pod) [2].
• The use of cromolyn sodium in the prevention of nerve degeneration in Bell's palsy [3].
• Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was used in the evaluation of the facial nerve in four patients with idiopathic facial paralysis and six with herpes zoster oticus (HZO) [4].
• Enhancement of the facial nerve on gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common finding in Bell palsy, but enhancement of the vestibular nerve has never been reported in acute vestibular neuritis [5].

High impact information on Bell Palsy

• Practice parameter: Steroids, acyclovir, and surgery for Bell's palsy (an evidence-based review): report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology [6].
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-defined CFS patients lacking antecedent signs of Lyme disease--erythema migrans, Bell's palsy, or large joint arthritis--are not likely to have laboratory evidence of Bb infection [7].
• Treatment of Bell palsy with prednisone: a prospective, randomized study [8].
• Further analysis of the biochemical nature of the reduced activity has revealed that in sera of Bell palsy patients the substances that are fractionated within the Ig fraction are responsible for the reduced capacity to induce sprouting without loss of supportive molecules [9].
• Dystonic reaction to a phenothiazine presenting as Bell's palsy [10].

Chemical compound and disease context of Bell Palsy

• Cholesterol and uric acid levels in patients with Bell's palsy [11].
• Re: Bell's palsy: the steroid controversy revisited [12].
• We have studied a series of 17 Bell's palsy patients with gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and the purpose of this paper is to report our findings and discuss their significance [13].
• A potential signal of Bell's palsy after parenteral inactivated influenza vaccines: reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)--United States, 1991-2001 [14].
• The results of this study suggested that the most probable contributing factor for the success of prednisolone in improving the prognosis of Bell's palsy was its early intake (within the first 24 hours following onset) [15].

Biological context of Bell Palsy

• Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Bell's palsy and acyclovir [16].
• Correlation between gadolinium-enhanced MRI and neurophysiology in Bell's palsy: a preliminary study [17].
• We examined the cerebrospinal fluid findings, including the activity of the myelin-associated enzyme 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNP), and virus serology in patients with Bell's palsy [18].

Anatomical context of Bell Palsy

• Inflammation of the facial nerve in Bell's palsy can be demonstrated on gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging [13].
• CONCLUSIONS: These results provide no evidence for a systemic viral involvement in Bell palsy, but the observed decreased IFN-producing capacity at the onset of Bell palsy could be a sign of transient immunosuppression or of an abnormal frequency of leukocyte subpopulations in the disease [19].
• Decreased percentages of B cells (CD19) and T helper/inducer (CD4) subsets were measured in patients with Bell's palsy compared with age-matched healthy control patients [20].
• Furthermore, 35% of patients with Bell's palsy had increased concentrations of myelin basic protein in the cerebrospinal fluid collected in the acute stage of the disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)[21]

Gene context of Bell Palsy

• Serum interferon (IFN) levels were analyzed in patients with Bell's palsy to study the immune response in the disease [22].
• The Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome is a clinically defined entity composed of Bell's palsy, macrocheilitis, and lingua plicata [23].
• RESULTS: In the GTA and Nova Scotia, 222 and 36 patients were diagnosed with idiopathic facial (Bell's) palsy, respectively [24].
• Plasma endothelin level in the acute stage of Bell palsy [25].
• RESULTS: The IL-6, IL-8 and TNF- alpha levels were significantly higher in Bell's palsy than in controls (p < 0.05) [26].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Bell Palsy

• Two hundred thirty-nine patients with Bell palsy were randomly distributed into prednisone-treated and control groups [8].
• The patient received steroid treatment and local facial radiotherapy for Bell's palsy [27].
• A prospective, controlled, double-blind study was designed to evaluate the effect of steroid treatment on the natural history of Bell's palsy [28].
• CONCLUSION: These results suggest that early diagnosis and treatment within 3 days of the onset of paralysis are necessary for maximal efficacy of combined acyclovir and prednisolone therapy for Bell's palsy [29].
• STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective study of 480 Bell's palsy patients who were treated with oral acyclovir and prednisolone (94 cases) or prednisolone alone (386 cases) [29].

References