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Bell's palsy and herpes simplex virus

J Schirm1, P S Mulkens

  • 1Regional Public Health Laboratory, Virology Department, Groningen, The Netherlands.

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|December 11, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Bell's palsy, a common cause of facial paralysis, is strongly linked to the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Reactivation of HSV in the geniculate ganglia is the primary cause of this condition.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Virology
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • Bell's palsy is idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis, accounting for over 50% of facial paralysis cases.
  • Clinical studies and animal experiments suggest a link between Bell's palsy and herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the etiological link between Bell's palsy and HSV by examining the human facial nerve and geniculate ganglion.
  • To determine if HSV reactivation from the geniculate ganglia causes Bell's palsy.

Main Methods:

  • Detection of HSV DNA in facial nerve tissue using in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  • Detection of HSV-specific latency-associated transcripts in the geniculate ganglia of control patients.

Main Results:

  • HSV DNA was readily detected in the geniculate ganglia of Bell's palsy patients using molecular methods.
  • HSV-specific latency-associated transcripts indicated a latent HSV state in control patients' ganglia.
  • Recent PCR studies show HSV is typically absent near the geniculate ganglia, except in Bell's palsy patients.

Conclusions:

  • Reactivation of HSV genomes from the geniculate ganglia is the most significant cause of Bell's palsy.
  • The findings support renaming "Bell's palsy" to "herpetic facial paralysis".

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