Bell’s palsy: People live with half-smile
Overview:
Bell’s palsy also known as acute peripheral facial palsy, on a daily basis, we cope with many people, whether through direct verbal communication or by interacting with facial expressions, such as: raising the eyebrow, wrinkling the nose, winking the eye, and other expressions that we always use spontaneously and smoothly.
But, occasionally a person loses their control to use facial expressions and suddenly a bunch of scary and troubling symptoms emerges. And this is due to the bell’s palsy, and certainly, we have all heard of or seen someone suffering from bell’s palsy.
What is Bell’s palsy?
The facial nerve is a nerve located in the face that extends from the brain to the face and neck. It is responsible for a range of sensory and motor functions and the control of the lacrimal and sublingual glands.
Furthermore, controlling the opening and closing of the eye and controlling the movement of the facial muscles. Condition with Bell’s palsy results in partial or total facial paralysis and the inability to control the muscles.
What are the causes of Bell’s palsy?
What are the causes of Bell’s palsy?
Although the cause of the condition is not clearly known so far, a large number of physicians and scientists tend, as a result of research, to identify a group of factors that cause infection, including:
- Diabetes.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- High blood pressure.
- Rubella (German measles) and mumps.
- Stroke because it results in nerve damage.
- Infection with chickenpox.
- Infection with some viruses such as HIV and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
What are the symptoms of Bell’s palsy?
Symptoms and signs that occur on the patient with Bell’s palsy.
A set of symptoms occur as a result of the condition:
- Dry eyes and losing control in closing and opening them.
- Weak sense of taste and severe pain around the jaw.
- Difficulty controlling some facial expressions.
- Severe headache and general loss of focus.
- Pain in the ear, especially in the area below the ear.
- Light and Noise Sensitivity
With the appearance of any of these symptoms, we advise you to quickly go to a physician, because delaying treatment is a problem that may result in serious complications.
Complications of Bell’s palsy:
Most cases of Bell’s palsy enhance significantly with time and appropriate medications. But, sometimes serious complications occur as a result of infection with the disease and delay in treatment, these complications include:
- Infection with sores in the eyes and severe dryness, and in some cases, can lead to blindness.
- Intense injury of the affected face part can lead to permanent inflammation.
- Reflex muscle contractions.
Is it possible to treat Bell’s palsy?
Despite the stress and worry that the patient will have because of the bizarre symptoms that occur suddenly, the inflammation is treated gradually with different therapeutic methods, and the duration of treatment depends on the cause that resulted in the condition and also according to the pace of going to a physician to treat the case.
Physicians recommend that treatment should be started within 72 hours of the beginning of the injury so that the pace of retort to treatment is great and also in order to avoid serious complications that may result from the delay in treatment.
Here is some advice for a patient with Bell’s palsy:
Although science does not reach the causes of infection, physicians always recommend a bunch of tips for the task that can help you avoid condition:
- Keep away from any source of cold air.
- Follow a healthy diet.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle and try as much as possible to stay away from any pressure or anxiety that could cause you a problem or severe despair.
- We advise the importance of periodic follow-up with a specialized physician to check on public health and to avoid any serious complications.
What is the difference between the trigeminal nerve and Bell’s palsy?
The trigeminal nerve is a nerve located in the face consisting of three branches responsible for feeling in general in this region and either responsible for the move of muscles specialized in chewing, and The facial nerve, as we mentioned, is responsible for muscle movement, and in the case of Bell’s palsy or Trigeminal neuralgia, we advise It is critical to see a physician in order to treat this concern as soon as possible.
Request an appointment with a neurologist from CliniDo
CliniDo wishes you a life full of happiness and serenity!