Facial nerve paralysis (patient information): Difference between revisions
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:*Keep a healthy life-style: Stop [[alcohol abuse]], eat a low-lipid diet, take regular exercises | :*Keep a healthy life-style: Stop [[alcohol abuse]], eat a low-lipid diet, take regular exercises | ||
:*Keep a good glucose level for patients with [[diabetes]] | :*Keep a good glucose level for patients with [[diabetes]] | ||
:*Avoid facial trauma | :*Avoid facial [[trauma]] | ||
:*Avoid to contact with toxins | :*Avoid to contact with toxins | ||
:*Treat [[infection]] in the ear or face early | :*Treat [[infection]] in the ear or face early |
Revision as of 20:53, 23 March 2010
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Jinhui Wu, MD
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What is facial nerve paralysis?
How do I know if I have facial nerve paralysis and what are the symptoms of facial nerve paralysis?
Damaged nerve leads to facial muscle paralysis. Patients with facial nerve paralysis may show the following signs:
- Change in the appearance of the face
- Facial droop, paralysis in one side
- Difficulty closing one eye and difficulty with fine movements of the face
- Difficulty making expressions, grimacing
- Difficulty eating
- Face feels pulled to one side and stiff
- Felling dryness in the eye or the mouth
- Headache
- Pain behind the ear
- Alteration of taste on the affected side
- Hyperacusis
Who is at risk for facial nerve paralysis?
- Trauma: such as skull base fractures, facial injuries, or surgical trauma.
- Nervous system disease, such as Millard-Gubler syndrome
- Infection in the ear or face, such as Ramsey-Hunt syndrome
- Metabolic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus
- Tumors, such as acoustic neuroma, schwannoma, glomus tumors.
- Toxins, such as alcohol abuse, carbon monoxide poisoning.
- idiopathic, such as Bell's palsy
How to know you have facial nerve paralysis?
- Appearance of your face and physical examination
- Head images such as CT or MRI: The goal of these tests is to exclude brain diseases such as stroke that can cause facial nerve parelysis.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if you find any signs of facial nerve paralysis. Early treatment is helpful to cure your changes in the face.
Treatment options
Diseases with similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for facial nerve paralysis?
Directions to Hospitals Treating facial nerve paralysis
Prevention of facial nerve paralysis
- Keep a healthy life-style: Stop alcohol abuse, eat a low-lipid diet, take regular exercises
- Keep a good glucose level for patients with diabetes
- Avoid facial trauma
- Avoid to contact with toxins
- Treat infection in the ear or face early
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1290547-overview
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000794.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/facial_nerve_problems/article.htm