title: Managing Bell's palsy.
abstract: Each year in the UK, around 1 in 5,000 people develop Bell's palsy--a unilateral lower motor neurone facial weakness of rapid onset that can be physically and psychologically disabling. While around 71% of patients recover normal function of the facial muscles without treatment, 13% are left with slight weakness and 16% with moderate to severe weakness resulting in major facial dysfunction. People who recover usually do so quickly, with 85% of them reporting some improvement in the first 3 weeks. There is longstanding controversy about what, if any, treatment should be initiated for Bell's palsy. Here we discuss the management of patients with this condition.
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000998:Antiviral Agents