title: Health-related quality of life in 794 patients with a peripheral facial palsy using the FaCE Scale: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the health-related quality of life of patients visiting a tertiary referral centre for facial palsy, and to analyse factors associated with health-related quality of life, using the FaCE Scale instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Facial Nerve Center at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a tertiary referral centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a peripheral facial palsy visiting the centre for an initial consultation between August 2007 and June 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  The total FaCE score and the FaCE social function subdomain. Multiple regression models were developed to identify factors associated with the total FaCE score and FaCE social function score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 794 patients with a mean age of 47.0 ± 16.0 years were analysed in this study, of which 59.9% were female. The mean House-Brackmann, Sunnybrook, total FaCE and FaCE social function scores were 3.6 ± 1.5, 48.2 ± 21.2, 47.3 ± 19.3 and 55.5 ± 19.2, respectively. Increasing age (r = -0.229, P < 0.001) was associated with a lower total FaCE score. Female gender (r = -4.422, P = 0.033) and increased duration of palsy (r = -0.018, P = 0.041) were associated with lower FaCE social function scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While counselling patients on what to expect during the recovery process after facial paralysis is an important part of any clinical visit, FaCE score correlations suggest that female patients with chronic facial palsy and increased age constitute a patient category that may require additional time and attention to prevent or mitigate psychosocial dysfunction.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.|Department of Otorhinolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors: I J
authors: IJ
authors: Kleiss
authors: Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: M H
authors: MH
authors: Hohman
authors: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors: S M
authors: SM
authors: Susarla
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors: H A M
authors: HA
authors: Marres
authors: Department of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Hadlock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005149:Facial Expression; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult