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What Are the Causes of Facial Paralysis in Stroke?

Strokes happen quickly and to nearly 800,000 people every year, according to the American Heart Association. Strokes also lead to the deaths of about 150,000 people each year. In fact, in 2005, one out of every 17 deaths in the United States was because of stroke, according to the AHA. And facial paralysis is one of the key signs telling family and emergency workers that someone is having a stroke.

  1. Types

    • To understand why the face droops, you first must understand what a stroke is. There are two types of strokes, but the result is the same: Blood stops flowing to part of the brain. The more prevalent kind--one that impacts roughly 87 percent of all stroke victims--is caused by a blockage of an artery to the brain. The other is caused by a hemorrhage of one of the vessels in the brain.

    Effects

    • One effect of a stroke is facial paralysis. Indeed, emergency medical services workers, when responding to a report of a stroke, immediately look for drooping on the side of the face. Ultimately, the effects of a stroke depend on what part of the brain is injured, according to the Internet Stroke Center. Because each side of the brain is set up to control the opposite side of the body, if a stroke victim displays facial drooping on the right side, that indicates the left side of their brain is being damaged by blood loss. The severity of the stroke depends on where the blockage or hemorrhage occurs within the brain. Facial paralysis occurs when the stroke hits the area known as the primary motor cortex, which sits roughly midway through the brain if viewed from front to back.

    The Facts

    • Every year, about 795,000 people have a new or recurring stroke, according to the AHA. Roughly 600,000 are first attacks. And, while most strokes hit older people, young people--even children--are not immune. In most cases people do get better.

    Considerations

    • The impact of a stroke is the most severe right after it occurs, according to the American Stroke Association. After that, victims may start to show signs of improvement, although that depends on the extent of the damage of the brain. There are also rehabilitation programs that can begin soon after the person is medically stable, according to the ASA. One side effect is depression, which, if left untreated, can slow the rehabilitation process.

    Prevention/Solution

    • The risk of a stroke increases with age. Indeed, the chance of having a stroke doubles after the age of 55, according to the ASA. There are some controllable risk factors. High blood pressure is a key factor leading to strokes. Smoking is also a big contributor, as are heart disease and being overweight.

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