Bell's Palsy.
Prim Care. 2025 Mar; 52(1):111-121.PC

Abstract

Bell's palsy is acute weakness of the facial muscles associated with compression of cranial nerve VII. The annual incidence is 20 to 30 per 100,000. Diagnosis is based on a thorough history and physical examination, with careful attention to exclude other causes of facial weakness, such as stroke or Lyme disease. Oral corticosteroids improve recovery rates and antiviral medications reduce synkinesis. Most patients will recover completely. Physical therapy and Botox injections can help patients with persistent symptoms. The roles of surgery and acupuncture remain unclear. Close follow-up is warranted and patients without improvement should be referred to a specialist.

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Publisher Full Text (DOI)

Authors+Show Affiliations

Dalrymple SN

Department of Family Medicine, University of Virginia Health, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Row JH

Department of Family Medicine, University of Virginia Health, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Gazewood JD

Department of Family Medicine, University of Virginia Health, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Electronic address: Jdg3k@uvahealth.org.

MeSH

HumansBell PalsyAdrenal Cortex HormonesDiagnosis, DifferentialAntiviral AgentsBotulinum Toxins, Type APrimary Health Care

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

39939082

Citation

Dalrymple, Sarah N., et al. "Bell's Palsy." Primary Care, vol. 52, no. 1, 2025, pp. 111-121.

Dalrymple SN, Row JH, Gazewood JD. Bell's Palsy. Prim Care. 2025;52(1):111-121.

Dalrymple, S. N., Row, J. H., & Gazewood, J. D. (2025). Bell's Palsy. Primary Care, 52(1), 111-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pop.2024.09.012

Dalrymple SN, Row JH, Gazewood JD. Bell's Palsy. Prim Care. 2025;52(1):111-121. PubMed PMID: 39939082.

* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case

TY - JOUR T1 - Bell's Palsy. AU - Dalrymple,Sarah N, AU - Row,Jessica H, AU - Gazewood,John D, Y1 - 2025/01/03/ PY - 2025/2/13/medline PY - 2025/2/13/pubmed PY - 2025/2/12/entrez KW - Bell palsy KW - Bell’s palsy KW - Idiopathic facial nerve palsy KW - Peripheral facial palsy SP - 111 EP - 121 JF - Primary care JO - Prim Care VL - 52 IS - 1 N2 - Bell's palsy is acute weakness of the facial muscles associated with compression of cranial nerve VII. The annual incidence is 20 to 30 per 100,000. Diagnosis is based on a thorough history and physical examination, with careful attention to exclude other causes of facial weakness, such as stroke or Lyme disease. Oral corticosteroids improve recovery rates and antiviral medications reduce synkinesis. Most patients will recover completely. Physical therapy and Botox injections can help patients with persistent symptoms. The roles of surgery and acupuncture remain unclear. Close follow-up is warranted and patients without improvement should be referred to a specialist. SN - 1558-299X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/39939082/Bell DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -

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Bell's Palsy.Prim Care. 2025 Mar; 52(1):111-121.PC