Bell's palsy overview
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Bell's palsy Microchapters |
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Diagnosis |
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Bell's palsy overview On the Web |
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American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Bell's palsy overview |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Bell's palsy (or facial palsy) is characterised by facial drooping on the affected half, due to malfunction of the facial nerve (VII cranial nerve), which controls the muscles of the face. Named after Scottish anatomist Charles Bell, who first described it, Bell's palsy is the most common acute mononeuropathy (disease involving only one nerve), and is the most common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis. The paralysis is of the infranuclear/lower motor neuron type.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Bell’s palsy affects about 40,000 people in the United States every year. It affects approximately 1 person in 65 during a lifetime. Until recently, its cause was unknown in most cases, but it has now been related to both Lyme disease and Herpes Zoster.
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