Epidemiological aspects of idiopathic peripheral facial palsy

Four hundred and twenty seven idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (IPFP) patients admitted to the Otolaryngology Department of the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel between 1978 and 1982 were characterized and analyzed by age, sex and season of illness. An average annual incidence rate of 33.6 patients per 100,000 inhabitans was calculated which is considered to be the highest incidence reported so far, and may be explained by the very high coverage of the "Sick Fund" insurance in the region and by the warm arid climate that prevails in the area. Knowledge of the demographic characteristics of the patients and the population in the catchment area, allowed the calculation of age-specific incidence rates and it was found that this rate increases with age, reaching a peak of 68.2/100,00 in the older age group (greater than 65 years of age). Peak morbidity in young patients (less than 30 years of age) occurs in the winter while elderly patients lack seasonal variability.