The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bell's Palsy and Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome: A Multicenter Retrospective Studyopen access
- Authors
- Kwak, Min Young; Lee, Ho Yun; Lee, Se A.; Jeong, Junhui; Chung, Jae Ho; Kim, Jin; Jun, Beom Cho; Yeo, Seung-Geun; Kim, Sang Hoon; Lee, Jong Dae
- Issue Date
- Apr-2024
- Publisher
- KOREAN ACAD MEDICAL SCIENCES
- Keywords
- Bell's Palsy; Ramsay Hunt Syndrome; COVID-19; Facial Palsy
- Citation
- JOURNAL OF KOREAN MEDICAL SCIENCE, v.39, no.16
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF KOREAN MEDICAL SCIENCE
- Volume
- 39
- Number
- 16
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/sch/handle/2021.sw.sch/26264
- DOI
- 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e140
- ISSN
- 1011-8934
1598-6357
- Abstract
- Background: This article presents a comprehensive review of data on the impact of facial palsy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The possible causes and pathophysiological mechanisms of changes in the epidemiology of facial palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 943 patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy or Ramsay Hunt syndrome. This study compared patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, and treatments before the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2017 to 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022). Results: Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of Bell's palsy, particularly among elderly individuals with diabetes. Bell's palsy increased after the COVID-19 outbreak, rising from 75.3% in the pre-COVID-19 era to 83.6% after the COVID-19 outbreak. The complete recovery rate decreased from 88.2% to 73.9%, and the rate of recurrence increased from 2.9% to 7.5% in patients with Bell's palsy. Ramsay Hunt syndrome showed fewer changes in clinical outcomes. Conclusion: This study highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation and management of facial palsy, and suggests potential associations with COVID-19. Notably, the observed increase in Bell's palsy cases among elderly individuals with diabetes emphasizes the impact of the pandemic. Identifying the epidemiological changes in facial palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic has important implications for assessing its etiology and pathological mechanisms of facial palsy disease.
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Collections - College of Medicine > Department of Otorhinolaryngology > 1. Journal Articles
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