Bell's palsy may be an autoimmune
Although the exact reason Bell's palsy occurs isn't clear, it's often related to having a viral infection. Viruses that have been linked to Bell's palsy include viruses that cause: Cold sores and genital herpes, also known as herpes simplex. Chickenpox and shingles, also known as herpes zoster.
In about 15% of people with myasthenia gravis, the first symptoms involve face and throat muscles. These symptoms can: Make speaking difficult. Your speech might sound soft or nasal, depending on which muscles are affected.
Guillain–Barré syndrome is characterized by progressive motor weakness, sensory changes, dysautonomia, and areflexia. Cranial nerve palsies are frequent in Guillain–Barré syndrome. Among cranial nerve palsies in Guillain–Barré syndrome, facial nerve palsy is the most common affecting around half of the cases.
Some viruses associated with Bell palsy are those that cause cold sores (herpes simplex virus), chickenpox/shingles (varicella zoster virus), mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus), and respiratory infections (common cold viruses and influenza).
Bell's palsy may be an autoimmune demyelinating cranial neuritis, and in most cases, it is a mononeuritic variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome, a neurologic disorder with recognised cell-mediated immunity against peripheral nerve myelin antigens.
Many diseases caused by bacterial infection such as otitis externa, mastoiditis, ostitis mastoidea and eustachitis can all lead to Bell's palsy. This indicates that some Bell's palsy have relations to bacterial infection, at least no relations to viral infection.
You might feel tingling, numbness or pins and needles in your feet and hands first. This is usually followed by muscle weakness and difficulty moving your joints. Other symptoms can include: sharp, shooting pain (nerve pain), often in your legs or back.
Isolated idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (Bell's palsy) is considered to be a disease of the peripheral nervous system, while MS is defined as a disease of the central nervous system [1, 6]. Common MS symptoms consist in visual disturbances, paresthesia, impaired coordination and paresis [1].
Low TSH compared with TSH > 0.55 mIU/L, was independently associated with 1.45-fold increased odds for having Bell's palsy (95% CI 1.11-2.02, p < 0.001), when controlled for age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, prior cerebrovascular accident, hemoglobin level, and purchasing thyroid hormone drugs.
Vasculitis: Vasculitis involves inflammation of blood vessels, leading to various symptoms depending on the affected organs. The diagnosis often requires imaging studies and biopsies, making it one of the more challenging autoimmune diseases to identify.
You might assume you have Bell's palsy. However, there is another condition with similar symptoms called Ramsay Hunt syndrome—and unlike Bell's palsy, where most people eventually recover, a misdiagnosis and delayed treatment could have a profound and lasting impact.
Often referred to as "the snowflake disease," myasthenia gravis, or MG, affects each person differently and likewise, treatment must be individualized. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness of the voluntary muscles. The more these muscles are used, the more they weaken.
Possible triggers of Bell's palsy may include: An existing (dormant) viral infection, such as herpes simplex or varicella (chickenpox) Impaired immunity due to stress, sleep deprivation, physical trauma, minor illness, or autoimmune syndromes.
To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, vitamin C deficiency has been reported as a cause or triggering/risk factor for Bell's palsy and at the same time immune-inflammation triggered in BP also may lead to vitamin C deficiency as existing vitamin C in the body starts scavenging free radicals to prevent ...
Bell palsy (a type of facial nerve palsy) is sudden weakness or paralysis of muscles on one side of the face due to malfunction of the 7th cranial nerve (facial nerve).
Facial Pain in MS is typically: Sudden, intense, sharp, superficial, stabbing. Lasting from a second to several minute. May involve more than one part of the face on the same side.
There is some evidence that the virus is often herpes simplex virus (HSV), the same virus that causes cold sores and genital herpes. Other viruses may also cause the condition, including herpes zoster virus, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus.
If you have a neurological autoimmune disease, your immune system may be overly active and mistakenly attack healthy cells. The most common of these is multiple sclerosis (MS).
Pleocytosis in CSF is a red flag against diagnosing GBS and may signify an infectious mimic such as Lyme disease, HIV, enterovirus or West Nile virus. Elevated CSF protein with a normal white blood cell count (albuminocytological dissociation) occurs in 50%–70% of cases of GBS in the first week of disease.
Myositis is an autoimmune disease involving chronic inflammation that leads to the weakening of muscles over time, particularly those in the neck, shoulders, hips and back. It may be painful, too.
The cause of Bell's palsy is unknown, but it is thought that reactivated herpes viruses from the cranial nerve ganglia have a key role in the development of this condition. Herpes simplex virus-1 has been detected in in up to 50% of cases by some researchers and herpes zoster virus in approximately 13% of cases.
The common symptoms of Bell's Palsy and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome are similar in that they both involve facial paralysis. However, there are some differences between the two conditions. Bell's Palsy is caused by damage to the seventh cranial nerve, while Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
It is now known that varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Compared with Bell's palsy (facial paralysis without rash), patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome often have more severe paralysis at onset and are less likely to recover completely.