Neuritis of the facial nerve in adults

What is facial neuritis

Neuritis of the facial nerve (neuropathy of the facial nerve, Bell’s palsy) is an inflammatory lesion of the nerve that innervates the mimic muscles of one half of the face. With inflammation, the nerve swells and is compressed in the bone canal, its protective sheath is damaged. As a result, severe weakness develops in the facial muscles, leading to paresis (decrease) or paralysis (complete absence) of facial movements, and half of the face simply sags – the face becomes asymmetric.

Neuropathy of the facial nerve is equally common in men and women, age also does not matter. In this case, most often, neuritis of the facial nerve occurs in winter, when there is a high risk of hypothermia.

Causes of neuritis of the facial nerve in adults

The main causes of neuropathy of the facial nerve are:

• hypothermia, long stay in a draft;
• defeat by the herpes virus of the nerve nodes;
• arterial hypertension;
• diabetes;
• traumatic nerve injury;
• nerve damage in diseases of the inner ear;
• stroke (acute cerebrovascular accident);
• a brain tumor.

“The risk of neuropathy of the facial nerve is increased in pregnant women,” notes neurologist Elena Gayvoronskaya.

Symptoms of neuritis of the facial nerve in adults

The first symptom of neuritis of the facial nerve is a feeling of numbness of half of the face. Lips and tongue cease to obey. It becomes difficult for a person to talk, it is difficult to smile and frown, even closing his eyes can be problematic.

Then within 1 – 2 days there is pain behind the ear. Sometimes the symptoms can grow rapidly, and only a couple of hours pass from the first signs to complete paralysis. As the problem worsens, there is a distortion and weakness of the muscles of the face. In this case, the palpebral fissure greatly expands, so that the eye cannot be closed completely. Because of this, severe dryness of the cornea can occur, which negatively affects vision.

Also, patients note that at first the folds are smoothed out on the forehead, then the nasolabial fold is also smoothed out. Gradually, the corner of the mouth begins to fall, saliva may flow. Numbness and heaviness of the muscles of the face are felt, but their sensitivity is not lost. There is no facial expression on the affected side of the face, and sometimes there is a strong muscle contraction on the opposite side.

Usually the signs of paralysis are clearly manifested in the morning. Sometimes the patient may notice a loss of taste on one half of the tongue.

Treatment of neuritis of the facial nerve in adults

As a rule, the treatment of facial neuritis is medical and physiotherapeutic. At the same time, it is very important to start therapy as soon as possible – this way the effect of the treatment will come faster, and the face will return to its previous appearance.

Diagnostics

First of all, a neurologist conducts a clinical examination – notes the asymmetry of the face, the inability to completely close the eye. If the patient cannot smile or frown, raise an eyebrow in surprise or stretch his lips with a tube, and also complains that the taste of food has been lost, the specialist may suspect neuritis of the facial nerve.

As additional studies, CT or MRI of the head may be prescribed in order to study the structure of the brain in layers, exclude a stroke, and also identify pathological processes in any part of the facial nerve (especially the intratubular part). Sometimes an additional consultation of an otolaryngologist and a neurosurgeon may be prescribed.

Modern treatments

– With neuropathy of the facial nerve, it is extremely important to start treatment on time – within 72 hours from the onset of the first symptoms, glucocorticoid hormones should be prescribed. It is also important to protect the eye from drying out if the neuropathy is accompanied by dryness. For this, artificial tears are used. If after a while mimic asymmetry persists, botulinum toxin can be used, – lists the treatment methods, neurologist Elena Gayvoronskaya.

Prevention of neuritis of the facial nerve in adults at home

To avoid the problem, it is important to observe the following rules:

• avoid hypothermia, especially drafts, wear a hat and scarf in the cold season;
• timely treat inflammatory and infectious diseases of the ear and nasopharynx (otitis media, rhinitis, sinusitis);
• avoid head and face injuries.

Popular questions and answers

We asked questions about neuritis of the facial nerve neurologist Elena Gaivoronskaya.