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Previous Volume 357:1653-1655 October 18, 2007 Number 16 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Approximately a third of cases of acute peripheral facial weakness are caused by trauma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, eclampsia, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome (facial palsy with zoster oticus caused by varicella–zoster virus), Lyme disease, sarcoidosis, Sjögren's syndrome, parotid gland tumors, and amyloidosis and may even be a complication of intranasal influenza vaccine.¹ The remaining two thirds of cases are idiopathic (Bell's palsy).

Bell's palsy occurs in 20 to 32 persons per 100,000 per year^2,3 and affects both sexes and all ages. Fortunately, most patients with Bell's palsy recover completely, but 20 to 30% may have permanent, disfiguring facial weakness or paralysis.^3,4 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

From the Departments of Neurology (D.H.G., K.L.T.), Microbiology (D.H.G., K.L.T.), and Medicine (K.L.T.), University of Colorado School of Medicine; and the Neurology Service, Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (K.L.T.) — both in Denver.

Related Letters:

Prednisolone or Acyclovir in Bell's Palsy
Beutner D., Leiner S., Korf E. S., Killestein J., Sullivan F., Swan I., Daly F.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2008; 358:306-307, Jan 17, 2008. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Beutner, D., Leiner, S., Korf, E. S., Killestein, J., Sullivan, F., Swan, I., Daly, F. (2008). Prednisolone or acyclovir in Bell's palsy.. NEJM 358: 306-306 [Full Text]  
• (2007). Effective Treatment of Bell Palsy with Early Prednisolone. JWatch Emergency Med. 2007: 1-1 [Full Text]  
• (2007). Early Treatment of Bell Palsy. JWatch Infect. Diseases 2007: 1-1 [Full Text]  
• (2007). Bell Palsy Steroids, Acyclovir, Both, or Neither?. JWatch General 2007: 1-1 [Full Text]