Prognostic factors for recovery in Portuguese patients with Bell's palsy

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Margarida Ferreira (Author) Other; João Firmino-Machado (Author) Other; Elisa A. Marques (Author) Other; Paula C. Santos (Author) Other; Ana Daniela Simões (Author) Other; José A. Duarte (Author) FADEUP

Journal

Title: Neurological Research

Vol. 38 No. 10

Pages: 851-856

ISSN: 0161-6412

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 2 Citations

Scopus - 2 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Social sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00M-5EA

DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2016.1209620

Abstract (EN): Objective: The main aim of this study was to identify the prognostic factors that contribute to complete recovery at 6 weeks and 6 months in patients with Bell's palsy. Material and Methods: This is a prospective, longitudinal, and descriptive study that included 123 patients diagnosed with facial nerve palsy (FNP) at a hospital in Guimaraes, Portugal. However, only 73 patients with Bell's palsy (BP) were included in the assessment of recovery at 6 weeks and 6 months. We analyzed the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, including sex, age, paralyzed side, occupation, previous and associated symptoms, seasonal occurrence, familial facial palsy, patient perception, intervention options, and baseline grade according to the House-Brackmann facial grading system (HB-FGS). Results: Of the 123 cases with FNP, 79 (64.2%) patients had BP. Age, sex, and baseline HB-FGS grades were significant predictors of complete recovery at 6 weeks. Patients with HB-FGS grade III or lower (6 weeks baseline) had significant recovery of function at 6 months. Conclusions: Baseline severity of BP, elderly patients, and male sex were early predictors of poor prognosis. Patients with mild and moderate dysfunction according to the HB-FGS achieved significant normal facial function at 6 months. Further prospective studies with longer observation periods and larger samples are needed to verify the results.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6