S  B  P  S

 

Scottish Bell's Palsy Study

Welcome

How to Refer a Patient

What is Bell’s Palsy?

What is the S B P S?

Who’s Who

The Trial Sites

The Patient’s Experience

Graeme’s Story

House-Brackmann Scale

The Questionnaires

Documentation

Legal Stuff

Links to other web sites

What is Bell’s Palsy?

Symptoms

The most obvious visible symptom is usually a unilateral paralysis of the facial nerve manifested by a one-sided collapse of the musculature of the face. It may be difficult to open (or close) one eye. There may be tears or drooling accompanied by a loss of taste and loss of sensory perception around the mouth. Patients commonly report a feeling of sunburn around the scalp and face. There may be significant pain.

A common consequence is emotional disturbance because of anxiety or self-consciousness about the disfigurement that the condition may cause.

Causes

The cause is unknown but some animal studies suggest a reactivation of herpes viruses.

Treatment

The most common treatments are either to do nothing (and leave the condition to right itself) or to prescribe a drug intervention, in proportions approximately as follows:

      steroids : antiviral : nothing
=    50% : 20% : 30%

 

with steroids (e.g. prednisolone) and antivirals (e.g. acyclovir) occasionally offered in combination. Other possibilities include surgery, electronic stimulation, acupuncture and the imposition of a dietary regime.

Nothing is known (see Duration and Recovery below) about the relative efficacy of the drug options, which is the reason for this study.

Prevalence

The condition affects 25 – 35 people per 100,000 per year, which is to say roughly one person in 60 during their lifetime (or about 100 people per month in Scotland). There is no significant difference in rates between men and women, though the preferred age range seems to be 30 – 45 years old.

Duration and recovery

In almost three-quarters of cases there is complete recovery within 3 to 6 weeks; occasionally when there is complete recovery it can take much longer than this.

Otherwise recovery may be ‘partial’ or ‘poor’ (technical terms with a specific meaning).

In 5% of cases (one case in 20) there is no significant recovery at all.

This patient has a left-sided Bell’s Palsy and is finding it difficult to smile