CLINICAL ENCOUNTERS
BELLS PALSY
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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The lower face is always affected
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Symptom onset is seconds
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Upper face is always affected
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Age of client is typically 20-35 years
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Detailed explanation-1: -Although both Bell’s palsy and acute stroke cause “acute” facial weakness, ischemic stroke is much more acute in onset, reaching maximum severity within seconds to minutes. Bell’s palsy reaches maximum severity within hours to a few days.
Detailed explanation-2: -The early symptoms of Bell’s palsy may include a slight fever, pain behind the ear and weakness on one side of the face. The symptoms may begin suddenly and progress rapidly over several hours and sometimes follow a period of stress or reduced immunity. The whole side of the face is affected.
Detailed explanation-3: -Standardized incidence ratio of stroke amongst patients with Bell’s palsy was analyzed. Results: Compared with non-Bell’s palsy patients, patients with Bell’s palsy had a 2.02-times (95% CI, 1.42-2.86) higher risk of stroke.
Detailed explanation-4: -"If you cannot wiggle your eyebrow or smile, more likely than not this is Bell’s palsy, assuming you can still move your arm and leg without problem, ‘’ he said. “But if you can move your eyebrow and you cannot smile, then that’s more often than not a stroke."