title: Antiphospholipid antibody-related Bell's palsy in young women.
abstract: The present report describes three young women aged 25, 20 and 15 years who presented with Bell's palsy. Two of the patients had a past history of the disease, which responded to steroid treatment. All three patients were positive for antiphospholipid antibody (APLA). In addition, one of the patients tested positive for antinuclear antibodies; however, there was no clinical evidence of systemic lupus erythematosus. All three patients responded well to steroid therapy. We conclude that Bell's palsy may be one of the manifestations of APLA syndrome, and thus, APLA testing should be done in such cases.
authors.affiliation: UGC Advanced Immunodiagnostic and Research Centre, Department of Pathology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India. usha_path@bhu.ac.in
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rastogi
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Patne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid