Analysis of Prevalence and Prognosis in Bell’s Palsy

ABSTRACT

Background: A facial expression is due to the contraction andcoordination of the facial musculatures, and this is mainlysupplied by the facial nerve. When its function is disturbed,significant alterations may be observed, with impairment offacial expression. The prevalence of the five major causes inthe USA are as follows Bell’s palsy (25 cases per 100000yearly), infection (7.7 cases per 100000 yearly), neoplasticaetiologies (6.8 cases per 100000 yearly), neurologic causeslike cerebrovascular accidents (6.8 cases per 100000 yearly)and traumatic reasons (4.1 cases per 100000 yearly). Thepresent study was conducted to determine the prevalence andetiology of bell’s palsy.Materials and Methods: The complete demographic detailslike age, gender and socioeconomic status was noted amongstall the subjects. The type of treatment received, the risk factorsassociated were also recorded in a tabulated form. All the datathus obtained was arranged in a tabulated form and analysedusing SPSS software. Data was expressed in percentage.Results: There were 33.3% males (n=200) and 66.7% females(n=400). The recovery rate after treatment was 100% amongstall the patients.Conclusion: Females were more commonly affected ascompared to males and a 100% recovery rate was observed inour study. The most common age group affected was 21-40years.