title: Efficacy of the red blood cell distribution width for predicting the prognosis of Bell palsy: a pilot study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between RDW values and the prognosis of patients with Bell palsy in an effort to find a prognostic biomarker that predicts recovery from Bell palsy. We measured RDW and evaluated facial movement in 61 patients with Bell palsy aged 50 years and less. All patients were treated with a steroid plus an antiviral agent. Seven patients underwent surgery for facial nerve decompression. During the post-treatment period, patients with a Yanagihara grading score of 36 or more were regarded as having a satisfactory recovery. Patients were divided into two groups (recovered and unrecovered) according to their response to treatment, and several parameters, including the RDW, were measured for further analysis. RDW values were significantly higher in the unrecovered group than in the recovered group (13.5 ± 1.7 vs. 12.7 ± 0.7%, p = 0.046). In the multiple logistic regression model, RDW was the only factor associated with recovery from Bell palsy (odds ratio 1.93, 95% confidence interval 1.02-4.65, p = 0.042). Our preliminary study provides the first evidence that the red cell distribution width (RDW) can predict recovery from Bell palsy in patients aged 50 years and less. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the potential pathophysiological mechanisms for our findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horibe
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan. tanigawa@aichi-med-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nonoyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, Clinical Research Center, Aichi Medical University, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murotani
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D020330:Bell Palsy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000601:surgery*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D020127:Recovery of Function
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids
keywords: Erythrocytes; Facial nerve; Idiopathic facial paralysis; Prognosis