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Bell's Palsy Risk Factors

Bell's palsy is a temporary facial paralysis. It can cause problems with closing the eyes and distortion of features. Onset is usually sudden, and the symptoms can lead people to think they have had a stroke. Symptoms can be mild, but also can be severe enough to cause complete facial paralysis. The condition usually reaches its worst severity within 48 hours and then gradually resolves over two to three weeks. In some cases symptoms linger for months, and some people never fully recover. Many risk factors and causes are associated with Bell's palsy.

  1. Infections

    • Several viral infections are linked to Bell's palsy. These include herpes, shingles, chicken pox, mumps, meningitis and mononucleosis. Bacterial infections, such as ear infections, Lyme disease, syphilis, tuberculosis and typhoid fever, also are risk factors for an episode of Bell's palsy. These conditions all can cause inflammation and swelling of the facial nerve affected in Bell's palsy.

    Injury and Neurological Conditions

    • Bell's palsy also can be caused by tumors that compress the facial nerve, or by injury to the head or face. Neurological disorders are linked to Bell's palsy. These include Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis and neurosarcoidosis. Bell's palsy is not a stroke, but a stroke can cause Bell's palsy.

    Weakened Immune System

    • Conditions that cause a weakened immune system are risk factors for Bell's palsy. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), for instance, are linked with the disorder. Chemotherapy for these conditions, as well as for cancer or certain types of hepatitis, is also associated with Bell's palsy.

    Pregnancy

    • Pregnant women are over three times more likely to develop Bell's palsy than the general population, according to NeurologyChannel.com, and it occurs most frequently during the third trimester. Researchers do not know why this happens. Most of these women recover fully within six months, but for some, symptoms never completely disappear. In one study, according to eMedTV, only about half the women who developed Bell's palsy with complete facial paralysis during pregnancy recovered to a degree they considered satisfactory. Pregnant women affected by Bell's palsy also have an increased risk of developing pregnancy-induced hypertension (preeclampsia).

    Restricted Blood Supply

    • NeurologyChannel.com notes that people with diabetes are over four times as likely to develop Bell's palsy as other individuals. High blood pressure is another risk factor, and so is smoking. All these risk factors can cause restricted blood supply to the nerves.

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