A sudden droop on one side of the face, an inability to blink fully, and slurred speech – these are the hallmark signs of Bell’s palsy, a temporary paralysis of the facial nerve.
While the condition is relatively common – there are 15 to 30 cases per 100,000 people yearly – some experts have reported an increase in cases compared to pre-pandemic years.
Researchers are increasingly pointing to viral illness, Covid specifically, as a trigger for Bell’s palsy.
They revealed in 2021 that diagnoses of Bell’s palsy have risen by 8.6 percent among people who had Covid and by 6.8 percent among those who were vaccinated since the start of the pandemic – nearly 50 million additional cases compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Bell’s palsy arises when the seventh cranial nerve, which carries nerve signals that control your facial movements and expressions, becomes inflamed.
In addition to causing sudden freezing of one side the face, Bell’s palsy causes the mouth to droop and the eyes to become extremely dry.
Having a weak immune system caused by stress, illness, physical trauma, or an autoimmune system can also bring about facial paralysis. Former reality TV star Bristol Palin has attributed her nine-day bout of Bell’s palsy on stress.
The paralysis progresses quickly, causing maximum weakness within a few days to a week of onset. Most people fully recover within three months, but some may take up to six months for complete recovery.
In a lengthy Instagram video, Bristol Palin, 34, showed that she currently has almost ‘zero movement’ in the left side of her face
Bell’s palsy arises when the seventh cranial nerve, which carries nerve signals that control your facial movements and expressions, becomes compressed or inflamed
Researchers who uncovered the rise in Bell’s palsy linked to Covid tracked more than 348,000 patients for up to eight weeks after their Covid diagnosis to see if they developed Bell’s palsy.
Out of these patients, 284 were diagnosed with BP, or 0.08 percent of the total, within eight weeks of their Covid diagnosis. Out of these,
In total, 1,525 patients had a history of Bell’s palsy before getting Covid, and of those, about 8.6 percent had it come back within two months of getting Covid.
When researchers compared people who had Covid to 63,551 vaccinated people, they found that those with the virus were 6.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with BP than those who were vaccinated.
Their report was published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
There is no standard course of treatment for Bell’s palsy; doctors let it resolve on its own unless a person clearly has an active infection that could have triggered it.
In the US, there are 15 to 30 cases per 100,000 people every year. Overall rates of the condition have remained relatively stable over the years.
Doctors typically prescribe steroids to reduce inflammation and swelling around the facial nerve.
In addition to causing one side of the face to droop, in Ms Palin’s case, it pulled her face back and rendered her unable to fully close her left eye
Steroids can reduce recovery time by reducing inflammation.
In addition to causing one side of the face to droop, in Ms Palin’s case, it pulled her face back and rendered her unable to fully close her left eye.
In addition to steroids, doctors might also prescribe over the counter artifical tears to alleviate the uncomfortable dryness in the eyes caused by incomplete blinking.
Ms Palin has opted to undergo acupuncture, which she has found helpful for relieving pain in her face and believes has sped up her recovery.
Acupuncture is believed to activate the body’s nervous system, potentially improving blood circulation to the affected facial nerves, which might help speed up recovery and reduce inflammation.
Although evidence that acupuncture really quickens recovery is slim, it has been uncovered nonetheless.
In 2015, researchers from the UK and China looked at 14 clinical trials involving 1,541 participants, comparing acupuncture with other treatments. The results showed that acupuncture helped more people recover from Bell’s palsy compared to other therapies, with a higher rate of improvement.
Pregnant women, especially those in their third trimester, are most likely to experience Bell’s palsy. Doctors are not entirely sure why, but posit that increased fluid retention during pregnancy could put pressure on facial nerves, making them more prone to compression.
Palin said the scary ordeal kicked off nine days ago when she first noticed that her face was suddenly ‘pulling’ to the left
It also may arise from high levels of estrogen and progesterone affecting nerve function and increasing susceptibility to inflammation.
People with diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity are also more prone to Bell’s palsy.
Most people reach full recovery, but around 30 percent do not, developing chronic facial asymmetry, facial tightness, and involuntary or abnormal muscle movements in the face.
The condition can have a considerable psychological impact. The sudden onset of facial numbness is alarming and distressing, while an inability to move one side of the face can become frustrating and anxiety-inducing.
Ms Palin said she would never again ‘pick [her]self apart’ over her appearance.
She said: ‘[When I feel insecure], I am gonna remember this and just be so thankful for a normal functioning face because this has been wild.’
