[A patient with Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome]

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) is a relatively rare syndrome characterised by the clinical triad of persisting or recurrent facial oedema, recurrent peripheral facial palsy, and a fissured tongue.

A 30-year-old male patient presented with a left peripheral facial palsy spreading to the right side of the face. The left-sided facial paralysis recurred twice after initial recovery. The patient had also suffered from oedema of the lip and face, which sometimes occurred simultaneously with the paralysis, and he had always had a fissured tongue. Extensive biochemical tests, tests for infection and imaging tests revealed no abnormalities, and MRS was diagnosed. No treatment was required as the symptoms always disappeared spontaneously.

Patients with MRS can present to the general practitioner, dermatologist, or ENT-specialist as well as to the neurologist. As this is a relatively unknown syndrome, the diagnosis is often made late, and it is often over-diagnosed and over-treated. There is no proven effective treatment, but systemic corticosteroids can be considered.