Managing Bell's palsy

Each year in the UK, around 1 in 5,000 people develop Bell's palsy--a unilateral lower motor neurone facial weakness of rapid onset that can be physically and psychologically disabling. While around 71% of patients recover normal function of the facial muscles without treatment, 13% are left with slight weakness and 16% with moderate to severe weakness resulting in major facial dysfunction. People who recover usually do so quickly, with 85% of them reporting some improvement in the first 3 weeks. There is longstanding controversy about what, if any, treatment should be initiated for Bell's palsy. Here we discuss the management of patients with this condition.