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Should we use steroids to treat children with Bell's palsy?

Clare Atzema1, Ran D Goldman

  • 1Pediatric Research in Emergency Therapeutics (PRETx) program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ont.

Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|April 1, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Bell

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • Bell's palsy, a common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis, can affect children.
  • Idiopathic facial nerve paralysis in children is often associated with viral infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the efficacy and safety of steroid treatment for Bell's palsy in a pediatric patient.
  • To evaluate the long-term prognosis of Bell's palsy in children.

Main Methods:

  • Case presentation of a 6-year-old boy with acute Bell's palsy.
  • Review of current literature regarding steroid use and outcomes in pediatric Bell's palsy.

Main Results:

  • The risk of permanent facial paralysis in children with Bell's palsy is very low.
  • Current evidence does not support the use of steroids for treating Bell's palsy in children.

Conclusions:

  • Steroids are not recommended for treating Bell's palsy in children due to lack of proven benefit and potential risks.
  • Most children with Bell's palsy achieve full recovery without medical intervention.
Abstract

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