[Isolated and recurrent peripheral facial paralysis in human infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)]

Unilateral facial palsies were observed in three patients with positive serology for HIV. Two patients presented a second unilateral peripheral seventh nerve palsy after extraction of a tooth. Recovery was complete in each case. Peripheral neuropathies are present in 20% of cases with AIDS but cranial neuropathies are uncommon, affecting only 2 to 3% of patients. The seventh and the fifth are the most frequent cranial nerves involved. The reported isolation of HIV in the cerebrospinal fluid and from the nerve suggests a direct role of this agent. In this study an indirect mechanism such as a vascular spasm may also favour the occurrence of these facial palsies.