2024-07-17 03:40:12
A recent multi-institutional joint study found that the risk of developing facial paralysis increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research team, the incidence of facial paralysis increased the most in elderly diabetic patients.
Facial paralysis is a disease in which the face cannot be moved freely due to nerve dysfunction and the muscles are paralyzed. Examples include Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The exact cause of facial paralysis has not yet been identified, but it is known to be related to viral infections such as the herpes simplex virus. Recently, as facial paralysis has been reported as an early symptom of COVID-19 infection, interest in the relationship between the COVID-19 virus and facial paralysis has increased.
A joint research team of Professors Lee Jong-dae and Lee Se-ah of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital (Kwak Min-young and Kim Jin of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Lee Ho-yoon of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Ewha Womans University, Jeong Jun-hee of the Catholic University of Korea Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital, Jeong Jae-ho of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Hanyang University, Jeon Beom-jo of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital at Catholic University of Korea, and Yeo Seung-geun and Kim Sang-hoon of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Kyung Hee University) conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study based on data from 943 patients who received treatment for facial paralysis at five university hospitals in Korea. The research team compared and analyzed the incidence, recovery rate, and recurrence rate of facial paralysis before (2017–2019) and after (2020–2022) the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, the incidence of Bell’s palsy patients increased by about 8.3 percentage points from 75.3% before the COVID-19 pandemic to 83.6% afterward. The complete recovery rate decreased from 88.2% to 73.9%, and the recurrence rate increased from 2.9% to 7.5%. The average age of Bell’s palsy patients increased from 47 to 53 years, and the proportion of patients with diabetes increased from 8.5% to 24.2%, showing that the risk of Bell’s palsy in elderly patients with diabetes increased significantly. On the other hand, there was no significant change in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Professor Lee Jong-dae said, “This study suggests that the COVID-19 virus or vaccination may have directly or indirectly affected the development of facial paralysis,” and added, “Further research is needed to elucidate the relationship and pathological mechanism between COVID-19 and facial paralysis.”
The results of this study were published in the recent issue of the Journal of Korean Medical Science (IF: 3.0) under the title, ‘The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Bell’s Palsy and Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.’
Reporter Song Chi-hoon, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-07-17 03:40:12