Bell’s palsy: physiopathology and treatment <b>[Abstract in English]</b>

Abstract

Aims: To review the literature on clinical, physio- pathologic, and terapeutical aspects of Bell’s palsy. Source of data: A review of the articles indexed in Medline and Scielo databases. The terms used were Bell’s palsy, epidemiology, etiology, Herpes simplex, and treatment. Summary of the findings: Some studies have demonstrated the association of Bell’s palsy with the Herpes simplex virus infection. Climatic factors have been studied as reactivators of the latent infection of that virus in the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve, triggering the paralysis. The diagnosis of Bell’s palsy is essentially clinical, standing back other causes of peripheral facial palsy. Conclusions: The physiopathology of Bell’s palsy is still not completely understood, although the association with Herpes simplex virus has been demonstrated. The treatment remains controversial, nevertheless recent well designed clinical trials confirm the benefit of corticosteroids in the treatment of this condition. KEY WORDS: BELL PALISY/physiopathology; BELL PALISY/therapy; BELL PALISY/diagnosis; SIMPLEXVIRUS; HERPES SIMPLEX.