Abstract
A total of 262 cases with peripheral facial palsy was seen during the 7-year-period starting April 1967.
Of the 262 cases, 160 cases (61.1%) were Bell's palsy, 40 cases (15.3%) were Hun is syndrome and the remaining 62 cases were others. Among the 62 cases, 24 were due to trauma, 21 to ear infections, 10 to ear surgery and 7 to tumors.
The following observations were made concerning Bell's palsy and Hunt's syndrome.
1) The monthly difference in incidence varied in each year and there was no particular month when the incidence of facial palsy was considered to be high.
2) The incidence of Bell's palsy was high in the twenties, thirties and forties, altogether comprising 61.3% of all cases. There were 60 males and 38 females in the above three age groups.
In the age group under 19, female incidence was greater than that of the male, 19 to 8. A little higher incidence of Hunt's syndrome was seen in the thirties and the sixties, but the incidences in other age groups were approximately the same.
A detailed study on 23 cases with Bell's palsy revealed that an exposure of the affected ear to cold air as a causative factor was found in only 10% of the cases.
The facial paralysis was the first manifestation in 50% cases with Bell's palsy and in 26% of Hunt's syndrome. Otalgia was the first symptom in 5.6% cases of the Bell's palsy and in 30.4% cases of Hunt's syndrome.
Only the cases with the presence of herpes in the external ear were considered as Hunt's syndrome in the present study.
Complete recovery within 6 months was seen in 66.3% of Bell's palsy and in 60.1% of Hunt's syndrome. Imcomplete recovery was seen in 21.7% in each of both disorders.
No improvement has been seen in 10% of Bell's palsy and in 17.4% of Hunt's syndrome.
