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Bell's Palsy Essay

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Bell’s Palsy is named for Sir Charles Bell, a 19th century Scottish surgeon and physiologist who described the facial nerve and its connection to the condition. The disorder, which is not related to a stroke, is the most common cause of facial paralysis. Generally, Bell’s Palsy affects only one of the paired facial nerves and one side of the face, however, in rare cases it can affect both sides. (NIND,2003) It’s sudden onset, the cause is unknown but is presumed to involve swelling of the seventh (facial) nerve due to immune or viral disease resulting at the point where it leaves the bony tissue. (Davis, 1985) Due to the inflammation that is directed by the body’s immune system against the nerve controlling movement of the face. This causes …show more content…
(Taylor,2017) In people who have recurrent attacks of the disease which is rare means someone in their family has it too. In those cases, there may be a genetic predisposition to the disease. Some of the symptoms are sudden paralysis or weakness on one side of the face, changes in the amount of tears the eyes produce and difficulty with facial expressions to just list a few. Unfortunately, there are more it affects your hearing sounds may sound louder on affected side, your sense of taste may also be altered. There are chances of complications to which are irreversible, damage to the nerve, blindness in affected eye, misdirected growth of nerve fibers. In most cases, Bell’s palsy is a one-off and never happens again. About one in 10 people do have further attacks but this is more likely to occur in diabetics and where there is a family history of the condition. The average interval for recurrent attacks is 10 years and for most there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. (Leonard,2007) Bell’s palsy is not contagious but the illness thought to cause are. Some are just as simple as the common cold, or a cold sore or as major as viral meningitis which can also kill you if

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