The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bell's Palsy and Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.
J Korean Med Sci
; 39(16): e140, 2024 Apr 29.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38685888
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
This article presents a comprehensive review of data on the impact of facial palsy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The possible causes and pathophysiological mechanisms of changes in the epidemiology of facial palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.METHODS:
This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 943 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy or Ramsay Hunt syndrome. This study compared patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, and treatments before the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2017 to 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022).RESULTS:
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of Bell's palsy, particularly among elderly individuals with diabetes. Bell's palsy increased after the COVID-19 outbreak, rising from 75.3% in the pre-COVID-19 era to 83.6% after the COVID-19 outbreak. The complete recovery rate decreased from 88.2% to 73.9%, and the rate of recurrence increased from 2.9% to 7.5% in patients with Bell's palsy. Ramsay Hunt syndrome showed fewer changes in clinical outcomes.CONCLUSION:
This study highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation and management of facial palsy, and suggests potential associations with COVID-19. Notably, the observed increase in Bell's palsy cases among elderly individuals with diabetes emphasizes the impact of the pandemic. Identifying the epidemiological changes in facial palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic has important implications for assessing its etiology and pathological mechanisms of facial palsy disease.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Herpes Zoster Oticus
/
Bell Palsy
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Korean Med Sci
Journal subject:
MEDICINA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication: