Facial paralysis is the condition in which the facial nerve becomes inflamed. It results in total loss of voluntary muscle movement of one side of the face. This means the person will not be able to move any muscle in the affected region. Facial paralysis may be caused due to Bell’s palsy, stroke, brain tumour, birth trauma (in newborns), infection or Lyme disease.
More than 75% of facial paralysis is caused due to Bell’s palsy. When stroke causes facial paralysis, the person may still be able to close the eye on the affected side, or wrinkle the forehead. But, if the facial paralysis is caused as a result of Bell’s palsy, both of these may not be possible. However, a stroke may affect the other muscles also on one side of the body. Facial paralysis caused due to brain tumour develops comparatively slowly. It causes head aches, seizures or hearing loss. The main symptoms of facial paralysis are numbness or stiffness and weakness in the face. Normal activities like closing the mouth or closing the eye lids may also seem difficult or sometimes impossible. The face may also become expressionless. As a result of the stiffness, the patient may not be able to eat or drink. These symptoms coupled with severe headache, seizures or blindness call for emergency medical help. Symptoms such as drooling, excessive tears from one eye, other vision problems or paralysis may also occur.
Medical tests such as blood tests including blood sugar, ESR, Lyme test, CT scan of the head, electromyography and MRI of the head may be carried out to confirm facial paralysis. Also, depending on the difficulty that the person faces, the physician determines the nerve that has been paralysed. The common conclusions are as follows: If the entire face is paralyzed, including motion of eye brows, the facial nerve is responsible; where as, if only the mid face is paralyzed, it is due to a region within the brain through which the facial nerve passes.
Cure of facial paralysis depends on its cause. In any case, you need to strictly follow the treatment recommendations provided by the health care provider. A combination of physical, speech and occupational therapy is generally used to treat most cases. Steroids and acyclovir may be included to treat facial paralysis, but it depends on the cause. In patients who cannot close their eyes completely, care should be taken to protect the cornea from drying out, with the help of eye drops or gel that the health care provider has prescribed. You need to call in your doctor if you experience numbness or weakness in your face. In some cases, plastic surgery may also be done to help the patient to close the affected eye and to improve facial appearance.
Apart from this, the treatment for facial paralysis also includes certain precautions. The face must not be exposed to drastic weather conditions, especially cold and rain. Special care should be taken during fall and winter to help the nerves from getting stiffer. Frequent eye cleaning is essential for patients who find it difficult to close their eyes.
With proper diagnosis, treatment and precautions, it is possible to cure facial paralysis. The treatment takes a long time, but is found to take effect in most of the cases.
Reference:
http://health.nytimes.com/health/
http://www.wellsphere.com/brain-health-article/
