Bell’s palsy is a condition that weakness or paralysis a partial part of the face. The affected part of the face appear to droop and become stiff, this results into a one-sided smile and resisted closure of one eye is felt. The conditions’ exact cause is unknown, however, it can be as a result of inflammation and swelling of facial nerves (Madhok et al., 2016). This means that the transmission of signals between the muscles in the face and the brain may not be working properly hence paralyzed facial muscles (Holland, 2004). The symptoms of the condition include consistent pains around the jaws or below the eyes, changes in saliva and tears production, weakness on one side of the face and drooling. This short paper puts into focus on multidisciplinary care of Bell’s palsy.
The diagnosis of Bell’s palsy requires a thoughtful history and a comprehensive physical examination. Treatment of the condition in children is determined by the severity of the presentation whereby electrodiagnostic study is done or CT scanning. However, there is little knowledge of the treatment of the condition, especially in children (Singhi, 2003). Generally, treatment is done with prednisolone (Halperin, 2019). Although etiology is not known, clinicians find it important in early identification because the prognosis is better in early detection. Pediatric health care plays a major role by preventing future complications that include blindness of the eye and irreversible damage to facial nerves. While diagnosing the condition, a doctor looks for evidence that may be causing the facial paralysis like stroke and other related, if the causes are at all excluded the doctor will probably diagnose the condition as Bell’s palsy. In cases of uncertainties the doctor may refer the patient to another medical specialist specifically an ear, nose, and throat specialist (Eviston et al., 2015). This correlates to clinical guidelines.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
Eviston, T. J., Croxson, G. R., Kennedy, P. G., Hadlock, T., & Krishnan, A. V. (2015). Bell's palsy: aetiology, clinical features and multidisciplinary care. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry , 86 (12), 1356-1361.
Halperin, J. J. (2019). AUTHOR RESPONDS: Bell's palsy treatment strategies: Antivirals may help some patients.
Holland, N. J., & Weiner, G. M. (2004). Recent developments in Bell's palsy. Bmj , 329 (7465), 553-557.
Madhok, V. B., Gagyor, I., Daly, F., Somasundara, D., Sullivan, M., Gammie, F., & Sullivan, F. (2016). Corticosteroids for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews , (7).
Singhi, P., & Jain, V. (2003, December). Bell’s palsy in children. In Seminars in pediatric neurology (Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 289-297). WB Saunders .
