Bells Palsy Medical Report - Essay Example

Medical Report: Bell’s palsy Medical Report: Bell’s palsy Medical Report: Bell’s palsyBell’s palsy is a disorder of the 7th nerve resulting in paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face. The disorder was discovered by a Scottish surgeon named Charles Bell in 1829 thus it was named after him. He was able to detect a lesion from his three patients. Two patients presented an idiopathic case and the other is caused by a parotid gland tumor. The case was presented at the Royal Society of London.

Symptoms include loss of taste and expression thus a person may present a drooping face on the affected side. This is due to the damaged cranial nerve that controls the muscular face. Displacement of the mouth towards the unaffected side is also apparent. The patient may have difficulty closing his eyelids too hence it is very important to provide eye care to protect the cornea (Stein, & Miller, 2000). Pain behind the ear is also present. Interestingly, the patient may also experience crocodile tears, an excessive eye tearing on the onset of the disorder and at the time of recovery especially during chewing.

Physical examination includes determination of muscle weakness. The physician may ask the patient to lift and lower eyebrows, tightly closing and opening of eyelids, and smiling to the ears. Although, a patient may be diagnosed with presenting muscle weakness, diagnostic tests like MRI, CT scan, electromyography (EMG), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) are still required to rule out other underlying causes and illnesses. The cause of Bell’s palsy is unknown but it is believed to be preceded by respiratory infection like influenza and common colds.

Diabetes is less likely a cause. A possible culprit is a viral agent particularly herpes simplex. This makes it possible to treat the disorder with corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone and dexamethasone together with acyclovir, an antiviral drug.Sources CitedStein, A., & Miller, J., (2000 ). NCLEX Review. Thomson Learning. Singapore.