What is facial paralysis and what are its clinical characteristics?

Facial paralysis, also known as facial neuritis or idiopathic facial nerve palsy, is mostly a non-specific inflammation of one facial nerve causing complete paralysis of the facial muscles. Facial paralysis often occurs in winter and spring. So what are the clinical characteristics of facial paralysis?

What is facial paralysis?

Peripheral facial nerve paralysis is a disease in which the facial expression muscles on one or both sides are paralyzed, resulting in the inability to frown, frown, close eyes, show teeth, or puff cheeks on the affected side. It is common in acute non-suppurative facial neuritis inside and outside the stylomastoid foramen, or compression of the facial nerve trunk or branches caused by craniocerebral trauma, tumor compression, or surgical traction. The facial paralysis mentioned in this article is the peripheral facial paralysis caused by idiopathic facial neuritis, and does not include central facial paralysis caused by stroke, craniocerebral injury, etc. Idiopathic facial nerve palsy, also known as Bell's palsy, is a common mononeuropathy of the cranial nerves and the most common cause of facial palsy. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and it may be related to viral infection or inflammatory response. The clinical features are acute onset, which usually reaches a peak in about 3 days, manifested as unilateral peripheral facial paralysis, with no other identifiable secondary causes. The disease is self-limiting, but early and reasonable treatment can speed up the recovery of facial paralysis and reduce complications.

What are the clinical features of facial paralysis?

1. The disease can occur at any age and season, with the most common occurrences in April, May, July and August.

2. Acute onset, or without any symptoms, water leaking from the corner of the mouth on the affected side while brushing teeth in the early morning, and food getting stuck. In 70% of patients, the condition reaches peak within 1 to 3 days, and in a few cases within 5 days. Some patients suddenly develop herpes on the affected ear shell about 2 weeks after treatment and the condition worsens. Unilateral facial nerve damage is common, and about 0.5% of patients suffer from bilateral damage successively.

3. The main clinical manifestations are unilateral peripheral facial paralysis, such as weakness in closing the eyes, frowning, puffing the cheeks, showing teeth and closing the lips on the affected side, and the corner of the mouth tilting to the opposite side; it may be accompanied by pain behind the ear or tenderness of the mastoid on the same side. Depending on the location of the facial nerve affected, there may be loss of taste in the anterior 2/3 of the tongue on the same side, auditory hypersensitivity, and tear and saliva secretion disorders. Some patients may experience discomfort in the lips and cheeks. When blinking is reduced, slow, or the eyes cannot close, secondary damage to the cornea or conjunctiva on the same side may occur.