The weather is getting colder, beware of facial paralysis! | Facial paralysis | Peripheral facial paralysis | Facial nerve palsy | Crooked mouth wind

[Voice of Hope November 21, 2023](Editor: Li Wenhan) The weather is getting colder, beware of facial paralysis!If you miss the best opportunity for treatment, you may have sequelae such as spasms.

“I was fine yesterday, but when I woke up from sleep, I found that my eyes were slanted, my mouth was crooked when I was brushing my teeth, my speech was leaking, and my drinking water was leaking…” Recently, Mr. Hou (pseudonym) came to the outpatient clinic for medical treatment.

The chief physician of the Department of Neurology said that at that time, the patient found that he could not close his eyes on one side and could not complete commands such as puffing out his cheeks and whistling on one side of his face. Based on the symptoms, it can be basically determined to be “facial nerve paralysis” or “peripheral facial paralysis”, commonly known as “crooked mouth wind”. He introduced that “crooked mouth wind” often starts quickly and usually manifests itself as a crooked corner of the mouth on the affected side, leaky speech, and the inability to make movements such as frowning, closing eyes, showing teeth, and puffing out cheeks. When eating, it often stays in the tooth-buccal space on the affected side, and saliva often flows down from the affected side. The tear points become everted along with the lower eyelid, preventing the normal drainage of tears and causing them to overflow. Some patients may have mild pain behind the ear and mastoid area on the same side a few days before the onset of symptoms, which can reach a peak within 72 hours. The prognosis of most patients is good. After active treatment, recovery usually begins 2-4 weeks after onset and complete recovery occurs within 3-4 months. However, if we take it lightly and miss the best opportunity for treatment, some patients may suffer from facial muscle contracture, spasm, synkinesis or crocodile tears.

In response to Mr. Hou’s condition, the neurology department of the hospital further improved relevant examinations, provided him with nerve nutrition, reduced nerve edema, improved microcirculation and symptomatic support treatment. At the same time, Mr. Hou also received electroacupuncture, massage and microwave treatment in the comprehensive rehabilitation department of the hospital. After undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy, the condition initially improved.

As for the cause of “Crooked Mouth Wind”, Chinese medicine believes that the body’s healthy energy is insufficient, the collaterals are empty, and wind evil and cold evil take advantage of the deficiency to cause disease, such as catching a cold, catching wind while riding in a car, etc. It may also be caused by excessive fatigue, wind and cold invasion, etc. , the result of being invaded by “wind and cold blocking the collaterals”; Western medicine believes that its pathogenesis is not completely clear, and viral infection, such as the reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus type I and herpes zoster virus, is a widely accepted cause. It is also believed that this disease is also an autoimmune disease. For example, familial facial paralysis may be an autoimmune disease secondary to inherited human leukocyte antigen.

“Crooked mouth wind” usually occurs on one side and can occur at any age. Older people, especially those with underlying diseases such as hypertension, need to rule out secondary facial paralysis caused by stroke, diabetes and otitis media. The principle of “early as possible” should be followed in treatment. Secondary facial paralysis recovers relatively slowly. If it cannot be treated in time, the symptoms may become more serious. The treatment of facial paralysis requires a process and cannot be rushed.

We are about to enter the Beginning of Winter solar term, the temperature drops, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, which is the season of high incidence of “crooked mouth wind”. In the past week, 5 patients have been admitted to the ward. To prevent “crooked mouth wind”, you should pay attention to rest, avoid staying up late, overexertion and various mental stimulations; pay attention to keep warm against the cold, wear masks and scarves when necessary; eat reasonably, eat less or no cold, difficult to digest, greasy and stomach-stabbing foods Food; proper exercise. You can choose some exercise methods according to your own situation, such as dancing, walking, etc., to improve the body’s immunity. If you have symptoms such as facial asymmetry on both sides, inability to raise eyebrows, inability to close eyes, enlarged eye fissures, disappearance or shallowing of nasolabial folds, or skewed corners of the mouth, you should go to a regular hospital for treatment as soon as possible. If necessary, electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging can be performed. Resonance and other inspections.

Editor in charge: Li Zhi

This article or program was edited and produced by Voice of Hope. When reprinting, please indicate Voice of Hope and include the original title and link.