Examining the relationship between COVID-19 and Bell's palsy: Experience of a single tertiary care center.
Am J Otolaryngol
; 44(6): 103987, 2023.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37579600
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
While the etiology of Bell's palsy (BP) is largely unknown, current evidence shows it may occur secondary to the immune response following a viral infection. Recently, BP has been reported as a clinical manifestation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).OBJECTIVES:
To investigate an association between COVID-19 infection and BP. Additionally, to evaluate the need for COVID-19 testing in patients who present with BP.METHODS:
Hospital records of patients who presented to a single tertiary care center with BP in 2020 and 2021 were reviewed for presenting symptoms, demographics, COVID-19 infection and vaccination status.RESULTS:
There was no statistically significant difference between patients with BP who had a positive or negative COVID test in terms of sex, BMI, age, race, smoking history or alcohol use. All 7 patients with BP and a positive COVID test were unvaccinated. Of the total cohort of 94 patients, 82 % were unvaccinated at the time of the study. None of the 17 patients who were vaccinated had a positive COVID test. A history of BP showed no statistical significance (10.3 % vs 14.3 %, p-value 0.73).CONCLUSION:
We discovered a limited cohort of patients who underwent COVID-19 testing at the time of presentation for BP. Though there have been recent studies suggesting a COVID-19 and BP, we were unable to clearly identify a relationship between COVID-19 and BP. Interestingly, all patients with facial paralysis and COVID-19 were unvaccinated. To further study this relationship, we recommend consideration of a COVID-19 test for any patient that presents with facial paralysis.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Paralisia de Bell
/
Paralisia Facial
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article