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Association of Overweight and Obesity With Bell Palsy in Children
Vivian Breitling1, Andreas Leha2, Stina Schiller1
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Insights
Overweight and obesity in children are linked to a higher risk of developing Bell palsy (facial nerve palsy). This study confirms that a high body mass index (BMI) significantly increases the odds of this condition in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Observation of increased overweight/obesity in pediatric Bell palsy patients at University Medical Center Göttingen.
- Need to investigate the association between pediatric overweight/obesity and Bell palsy risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between overweight and obesity and the risk of Bell palsy in children.
- To quantify the odds of Bell palsy in relation to body mass index (BMI) percentiles.
Main Methods:
- Single-centered retrospective study.
- Database search for International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 diagnosis of G51.0 (facial nerve palsy) from 2010-2020.
- Comparison of patient BMIs with controls from a nationwide child health survey.
Main Results:
- 202 patients with peripheral facial nerve palsies (pFPs) included; nearly half were Bell palsy cases.
- 38% of Bell palsy patients and 24% of pFP patients had BMI >90th percentile.
- High BMI (overweight/obese: BMI >90th percentile) significantly increased Bell palsy odds (OR, 2.42; P < 0.001).
- Obesity (BMI >97th percentile) also significantly increased Bell palsy odds (OR, 2.43; P = 0.003).
Conclusions:
- Overweight and obesity are confirmed as risk factors for Bell palsy in children.
- Findings support the clinical observation of a link between high BMI and pediatric Bell palsy.
Background:
In the Division of Pediatric Neurology at the University Medical Center Göttingen we observed that many patients with Bell palsy are overweight or obese. To evaluate whether overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of Bell palsy in children we conducted this single-centered retrospective study by performing a database search for International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 primary and secondary diagnosis of G51.0 (facial nerve palsy) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2020.
Methods:
For risk assessment, patients' body mass indices (BMIs) were compared with BMI data of controls from a nationwide child health survey.
Results:
In total, 202 patients with peripheral facial nerve palsies (pFPs) were included, of which nearly half were classified as Bell palsies; 38% and 24% of the patients with Bell palsy and pFP had a BMI above the 90th percentile, respectively. High BMI was associated with statistically increased odds of Bell palsy in the group of overweight and obese patients (BMI >90th percentile; odds ratio [OR], 2.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6 to 3.8; P < 0.001) and solely obese patients (BMI >97th percentile; OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.3; P = 0.003).
Conclusions:
We could confirm our observation that overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk of Bell palsy in children.
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