title: [Residual states in 30 percent of adult patients with Bell's palsy. Early treatment with cortisone improves the healing process].
abstract: Bell's palsy is an acute unilateral weakness or paralysis of the face of unknown cause. The incidence of the disease is 30 individuals per 100,000 per year. It is a diagnosis of exclusion and other known causes for acute peripheral facial palsy must be ruled out. The prognosis is overall favorable and about 70% of the patients recover completely within 6 months without treatment. Recent randomized controlled Bell's palsy trials have shown that treatment with corticosteroids shortens time to recovery and improves recovery rates while antiviral treatment alone is not more effective than placebo. The combination of corticosteroids and antivirals has not been proven more effective than corticosteroids alone. We present an update of Bell's palsy in adults with focus on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Oslo universitetssykehus Rikshospitalet - Avdeling for plastikk og rekonstruktiv kirurgi Oslo, Norway Oslo universitetssykehus Rikshospitalet - Avdeling for plastikk og rekonstruktiv kirurgi Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.affiliation: Skånes universitetssjukhus - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Lund, Sweden Skånes universitetssjukhus - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stjernquist-Desatnik
authors.affiliation: Helsingfors universitets centralsjukhus - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Helsingfors, Finland Helsingfors universitets centralsjukhus - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Helsingfors, Finland.
authors.forename: Mervi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanerva
authors.affiliation: Karolinska universitetsjukhuset - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Solna, Sweden - .
authors.forename: Malou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hultcrantz
authors.affiliation: Läkarhuset Uppsala - öron-, näs- och halsmottagningen Uppsala, Sweden Läkarhuset Uppsala - öron-, näs- och halsmottagningen Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engström
authors.affiliation: Akademiska sjukhuset Uppsala - öron-, näs- och halskliniken Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jonsson
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D003348:Cortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061345:Early Medical Intervention; D006801:Humans; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020127:Recovery of Function
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011239:Prednisolone; D003348:Cortisone