Cat scratch disease presenting with peripheral facial nerve paralysis.
Acquired peripheral facial nerve paralysis is a relatively common disorder that affects both children and adults. The most frequent nontrauma-related etiologies in otherwise neurologically intact patients are idiopathic (Bell's palsy) and infectious, which includes otitis media, herpes zoster, Lyme disease, herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Cat scratch disease (CSD) is typically a subacute, regional lymphadenitis caused by Bartonella henselae that is seen in children and young adults. CSD most often has a benign, self-limited course. However, 11% of CSD patients may present atypically, most commonly with Perinaud's oculoglandular syndrome or acute encephalopathy. We present a child with the first reported case of acute facial nerve paralysis in serologically proven CSD with typical lymphadenitis.
Walter
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Division of General Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics Thomas Jefferson University duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE 19899, USA.
Eppes
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SC
D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000150:complications*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male